Lightning: Abenaki Legacy
by Native Avenger
Summary: A long time has passed since Tamhigan's "death" and the world has moved on. He spends an unknown amount of time in the crystal he's trapped in until one day, he is found by a small family he's never met before. Confused and feeling very alone after being freed, Tamhigan must find his way back to the Temple and find out where the only people who ever cared about him are.
1. Awaken the Dark Savior

**Hello everybody and welcome to Lightning: Abenaki Legacy! I have been wanting to start this story for awhile now and I'm so happy that I can finally do just that. I've put a lot of thought into the plot for this story and you all should expect a bunch of new characters. There will be some characters that belong to other authors and they will be mentioned at the end of the chapter whenever they are introduced. I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of this story and remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 1: Awaken the Dark Savior

It was a warm, sunny morning in the Awan Plains. That was the name given to the area that once was called the Well of Souls before it crumbled to the ground to form the plains. The plains were no longer the dead rock lands that they used to be when they were first formed; instead, they were simple grass fields with the occasional tree or bush.

The sky was nearly cloudless and the sun shined brightly upon the grassy fields. The various birds and insects soured through the air with ease while the land animals ate from the grass or wandered with their herds.

Within the fields of grass, two young dragons were chasing each other in a childish game. One of them was a young fire dragon and the other was an ice dragoness that was the same age. They both couldn't be more than four or five years old and they laughed as they chased each other.

The fire dragon possessed red-orange scales with a gold colored underbelly and wing membranes. His tailblade was sort of like a spiral-like barb that somewhat resembled Spyro's and his horns also looked like the purple dragon's. His eyes were orange and shone with shy curiosity.

The ice dragon was a female, unlike the other dragon, she had a more slender body with white scales that was reminiscent of snow. Her wing membranes and underbelly were both a shade of blue and she had six horns that curved upward, similar to Cynder's horns. Her tailblade at the end of her tail pointed outwards and resembled a spike. Lastly, her eyes were sky blue and were full of excitement.

"C'mon Flambian! Tag me if you can!" the young ice dragoness yelled as she ran away from the other child.

"You're gonna get it, Spirit!" the fire dragon, now identified as Flambian, called back as he ran after her.

'My brother thinks he can catch me. I'll show him.' the little ice dragoness thought to herself as she ran from her sibling.

The two young hatchlings ran through the field and laughed as they played. Flambian eventually tagged his sister and ran off in the opposite direction. She giggled and commenced the chase. The fire dragon ran as fast as he could away from her sister and he ran around a tall hill as they ran.

He stopped dead in his tracks however when he noticed a small cave on the other side of the hill. It seemed like that an adult sized dragon wouldn't be able to fit into the entrance, but teenage dragons could and he would probably fit in perfectly with little trouble. Spirit didn't even notice the cave and playfully tackled her brother to the ground.

"Tag! You're it!" she cheered victoriously before she hopped off of him.

The ice dragoness calmed down however when she looked up and saw the cave as well. As Flambian slowly stood up again, his sister started walking towards the cave. She was curious with what could possibly be inside.

"Spirit, where are you going?" the young fire dragon asked as he nervously looked at the dark cave.

"I'm going to see what's in this place." the ice dragoness answered with an excited smile as she got closer and closer to the foreboding cave.

"But mom and dad said that we have to be home for lunch." her brother reasoned as he backed away from the hill.

"We'll be home by then. Now let's go in and see what's inside." she encouraged before she ran inside.

Flambian really didn't want to go in after her, but he also didn't want to leave her sister alone where there was possibly danger. He sighed heavily and shook his head before he ran into the cave as well.

The interior of the cave was surprisingly quite the sight. The place didn't look natural at all; instead, it looked like the ruins of a fortress that has long been hidden from the world. The room the two dragons were in was dark and only the light from outside made things visible. What creeped both of them out however, was the bones of apes littering the ground and dust piles on the ground that could only be the ashes of fallen warriors.

"I don't like this place." the young fire dragon commented as he looked around the ruins, obviously scared.

"Yeah, but look at that." Spirit replied and pointed at a hallway that had a golden-yellow light illuminating from it.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, sis? There could be monsters down there." Flambian spoke as he stared at the hallway.

"No. Do I ever have good ideas?" she joked, trying to make him feel better.

The fire dragon wasn't comforted from her choice of wording, but he couldn't help but smile from her goofy tone of voice.

They both felt very uncomfortable being in that place though. They couldn't explain it, but something just felt evil about the ruins. It was as if they knew some very bad things happened there.

The two siblings walked at a slow pace down the hallway and they noticed it gradually got brighter the further down they went. They eventually ended up in a spacious room that was partially crumbled with debris. The main thing they noticed was that there was a large golden-yellow crystal in the middle of the room that was shining the bright light. They both gasped and their eyes widened when they saw the outline of a teenaged dragon in the middle of the large crystal.

"Spirit… who is that dragon?" Flambian asked nervously as they hesitantly walked up to the crystal that towered over them both.

"I… I don't know." the young ice dragoness answered honestly and she shivered when she noticed that the incased dragon was missing his or her right paw.

The two young dragons looked closely at the mysterious dragon within the crystal. They were trying to see his or her details so they could maybe figure out who it was or what type of dragon it was. They couldn't see anything about the dragon however because the crystal made it too foggy to see clearly.

"I don't like this place. Let's just go." Flambian urged as he took a step back away from the crystal.

"Aren't you at least a little curious who this dragon is?" Spirit asked, slightly annoyed from her brother's nervousness. "I've read that Spyro and Cynder themselves were once trapped in a crystal like this one. I bet we could help this dragon out too." she recalled as she walked up to the large, yellow crystal.

"Let him out!? Why would you want to do that!?" the young fire dragon demanded.

"Because he might need our help. Who knows how long this dragon's been here." she explained calmly.

"But he could be trapped in there for a reason. What if he's one of the bad guys?" he reasoned as he walked up to his sister to pull her away.

"There's only one way to find out. I'm not leaving until we at least try to free this dragon." the ice replied with a stern tone of voice.

Realizing that he could not dissuade his sister, the fire dragon sighed heavily nodded in understanding. She smiled at her victory and they both walked right up to the glowing crystal.

Flambian and Spirit placed their paws on the crystal's smooth surfaced and their eyes widened when it started to glow more brightly. They quickly pulled their paws away and took a few steps back, but that did not reverse whatever it was they caused. The crystal's light got so intense that they had to shield their eyes with their wings to avoid being blinded. They began to regret their decision when the ground under them started to lightly tremble and they began to hear voices.

"You're exactly what they say you are, a savage…" a dark voice was heard that sounded like multiple people were talking at once.

"No! Don't let him have the crystal…!" a worried voice was heard; this one sounded more normal than the last one.

"You could kill us both…!" the dark voice spoke again, this time sounding more panicked than before.

"I know…" a deep toned voice spoke emotionlessly.

Just when Flambian and Spirit thought that something horrible was about to happen, the bright light died down and the earth stopped trembling. They slowly moved their wings away from their eyes to see that the crystal wasn't there anymore and the dragon that was trapped in it was now lying on the floor. The two children very hesitantly walked towards the dragon that was lying on his side and Spirit lightly nudged his shoulder.

The dragon didn't react to her touch and the only thing that told them that he was alive was his amplified breathing from the strange mask he was wearing. This confused the children greatly. They couldn't understand why the mask made his breathing louder or why he was even wearing the mask in the first place.

"I don't get it. Who is this dragon? Why would he wear that scary mask? And why was he trapped in that crystal?" Flambian thought aloud as he looked at the black scaled dragon.

"I don't know. Man, look at all those scars." Spirit replied and shivered when she saw all the battle scars covering the muscular dragon.

The young fire dragon was about to comment on this when they heard a quiet grown at their feet. They looked at the teenaged dragon to see that he was awake and slowly raising his head to look at them. The black dragon slowly tiled his head to the side, expression his confusion, and stood up on his three legs the best he could.

Flambian whimpered quietly as he looked up at the intimidating dragon and hid behind his sister in fear, who was simply staring with wide eyes. The masked dragon simply stared at them through the angry looking lens on his gas mask and didn't utter a word. They simply stared at each other for awhile until Spirit finally broke the intense silence.

"Um… who are you?" she asked with slight nervousness.

"…Tamhigan." the masked dragon answered quietly with a very deep voice.

The two children were still frightened from the mysterious dragon, but they felt a little better now that they could put a name to him. The black scaled dragon took this moment to look around the area and he bore a deep frown behind his mask when he realized where he was.

"I… I'm Flambian." the little fire dragon greeted hesitantly.

"And I'm Spirit." the ice dragoness greeted with slightly more confidence than her brother.

"Can… can we get out of here now?" Flambian whispered to his sister, not wanting to spend another moment in the dark ruins.

"Sure. Would you like to come with us, Tamhigan?" she agreed and asked the dragon they freed.

The scarred dragon simply nodded, wanting to leave to and he followed the two children out of the room and down the hall. He had some trouble because of his severed paw, but he managed by simply hopping instead of walking like them. The children made sure to slow down so he could catch up and they eventually made it back to the cave's entrance and easily went through the entrance and into the open. Tamhigan had a tougher time with his paw and the kids had to help pull him out. They eventually succeeded and he hopped out of the cave.

The masked dragon looked up at the sunny sky before he looked out at the grassy fields. He didn't remember this place at all. He strictly remembered being on a mountain the last time he was away. He was brought out of his train of thought when Spirit tapped him on his good foreleg.

"Why were you in that cave and trapped in that crystal?" she asked curiously once he looked down at her.

Tamhigan didn't like to talk much and he wasn't too thrilled that he had to speak in order to answer her question. Nevertheless, he decided to at least partially answer.

"I was in a fight and we both lost." he explained quietly, hoping that his answer would satisfy her.

The ice dragoness really wanted to ask him more questions, but she realized that he didn't want to talk about it and chose to hold off on her questions until later.

"Do um… do you have a place to stay?" Flambian asked nervously, wanting to be polite.

Tamhigan simply shook his head, no. He could always just go back to his mother's apartment, but he didn't know how long he was in that crystal or if she was even still there. He was also too tired to make the long journey at the moment.

"Maybe you could come home with us!" Spirit suggested excitedly. "I'm sure mom and dad won't mind!" she added with a big smile.

The black dragon thought about this for a moment. On one hand, he could say no and fend for himself like he usually did. On the other, he could go with them and possibly get some help. He glanced at his pawless leg to see the stump, which was severely burned when he stopped the bleeding by burning the wound with his electricity. He then at the children, who both had smiles.

"Okay." he finally spoke with his usual quiet tone of voice.

"Just follow us. Our house isn't too far." the ice dragoness promised before she and her brother started walking around to the other side of the hill.

Tamhigan followed them by hoping on his three paws at a slow pace. The children realized that he couldn't move too fast and slowed down so he could catch up. As they walked, the black dragon became lost in thought. He couldn't understand how he was alive after the battle with the Dark Master, He knew Malefor was dead because he saw him burn away before his eyes. He wanted to know how he survived, but first, he needed rest and to see his mother and brother.

After the three dragons circled around the hill, a wooden house could be seen about two or three dozen yards away. The trio slowly made their way to the house until they reached the front porch and Flambian opened the door so they could go inside. The two children walked in, but looked back at Tamhigan because he didn't budge. The two children walked in, but looked back at Tamhigan because he didn't budge.

"Um… you can come in." Spirit said awkwardly as her brother opened the door wider so their guest could have an easier time getting in.

Tamhigan hesitantly hoped through the doorway and Flambian shut the door behind him. The two children led him a little deeper into the house until they came upon the living room. There were two dragons sitting on a large seating pillow and the black dragon assumed that they were the children's parents.

The male was a slightly muscular fire dragon with crimson scales and an orange underbelly. His wings reminded Tamhigan of Cyril's and the dragon's eyes were just as crimson as his scales. His horns and tailblade exactly matched Flambian's.

The other was an ice dragoness who was noticeably muscular, but not too much. Her underbelly and wing membranes were both snow white and her eyes were sapphire colored. She possessed two silver horns that curved and her tailblade resembled Spirit's.

"Hi mom! Hi dad! We're home!" the little ice dragoness informed her parents as she and her brother walked up to the adult dragons.

"I can see that, but who is this?" their father asked as he looked at the masked dragon.

"His name is Tamhigan. He was trapped in some kind of crystal." Flambian answered, feeling comfort from his parents' presence.

"Wait, Tamhigan? The Tamhigan?" the adult ice dragoness asked as she and her mate stood up.

The post-apocalyptic dragon simply nodded in confirmation. He didn't understand why they were so excited, but he decided to just go with it.

The adult fire dragon stood up as well and walked over to the black dragon.

"Dude, you're a legend after what you did! You stopped the Dark Master and ensured our race's survival! We all thought you died from your battle! My name is Zach by the way!" he greeted excitedly with a warm smile.

"And I'm Frost, Zach's mate. It's nice to meet one of our Realm's great saviors." the adult ice dragoness introduced with a smile of her own.

"Um, he doesn't' have a place to stay. Is it okay if Tamhigan stays with us for the night?" Spirit asked her parents, trying to bring the conversation to the topic at hand.

"Why yes, of course. You're always welcome to stay here, Tamhigan." Zach told the masked dragon, his smile never fading.

Tamhigan didn't like all the attention he was receiving, but he was thankful that they weren't hostile towards them and nodded in appreciation. The two mates nodded back and sat back down on their seating pillows. The two children hopped up onto their father's seating pillow and sat down on both sides of him.

"Sit down. Make yourself at home." Zach offered as he motioned towards the seating pillow across from them.

Tamhigan didn't see the harm in it and slowly took his seat. The family took this moment to quickly look over Tamhigan. They were slightly unnerved by all his scars and intimidating appearance, but they put that aside because he was known as a hero throughout the Realms. They didn't expect him to be so quiet however and they felt pity towards him when they saw that he was missing his right paw.

"Well, I'm gonna make lunch for us all. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." Frost informed them with a smile before she walked out of the room.

Tamhigan watched her leave and turned to the rest of the family once she was out of his line of sight. He noticed that Zach was playing with his kids and decided not to interrupt them. He knew that he had to get some answers, but he decided to wait until Frost came back with the promised food.

**Zach, Frost, Flambian, and Spirit are all owned by Zach the Fire Dragon. Also, Awan Plains is named after a character that both me and Admiralkirk own. She's used in his story, Rise like the Phoenix.**


	2. Grim Discoveries

**Kwai kwai everybody! Here's the second chapter to this story and thank you to those who left a reply last chapter. You readers are awesome for all the support you give me and it really makes me happy that my stories make others happy. In case any of you are wondering, the dragon that is on the book cover to this story is in fact Tamhigan. I spent a few months on and off working on that and I'm kinda surprised that I was able to finish it on time for this story. I'd also like to say happy birthday to the anonymous reviewer, Alfred. I really do not like the idea of someone so young reading an M-rated story, but it's not my place to tell you what you can and can't read. I made this story M-rated because it was intended for mature readers. And this is to everyone, I have plenty of OCs in mind for this story, but I usually do except other peoples OCs if they are sent to me via PMs and PMs only. I think I've been babbling enough ha-ha. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 2: Grim Discoveries

Tamhigan had been sitting in the living room and watching Zach play with his kids for awhile now. He heard footsteps coming from the doorway after awhile and he turned to see Frost standing there with a warm smile.

"Lunch is ready." she informed everyone in a sing-song tone of voice.

"Awesome! We're starving!" Zach replied with a laugh as he and his kids stood up.

Tamhigan slowly stood up as well and followed the family out of the living room. He steadily hopped into the kitchen to see that the table had five plates on it that held some freshly cooked venison on them.

"You're the best, mom!" Spirit cheered as she and Flambian ran to their seats and started eating.

Frost chuckled at her children and kissed her mate on the cheek when he walked up to her. Zach smiled from her affection and they sat down at the table as well. Tamhigan was the last to sit down and he stared at the food through the tinted lens of his gas mask.

He looked up to see that the small family was looking straight at him. They wanted to know what his face looked like because it was never recorded and few people actually knew what he looked like behind his gas mask. He didn't like all the attention, but he knew that he had to remove it in order to eat.

The post-apocalyptic dragon used his left paw to slowly loosen the straps and he set the mask on the table next to his plate. Each member of the family was shocked to see his heavily scarred face and the particularly nasty scar going diagonally across his face; the scar that was meant to be a swastika. Tamhigan recalled the time when the Ku Klux Klan soldier carved into his face and visibly shuddered. Zach saw his discomfort however and continued eating. His mate and kids seemed to get the hint as well and they stopped looking too so they could continue their meal.

Tamhigan started eating his lunch like the rest of the family and they all ate in silence. He knew that he had to get some answers, but he really didn't like the fact that he would have to start a conversation in order to do it. He sighed quietly about half way through the meal and looked up at the two mates and their children.

"Do you know how long I was in that crystal for?" the black dragon asked just above a whisper, but it was so silent in the room that they easily heard it.

Zach and Frost looked at each other with nervous expressions before they looked at their guest again. They obviously weren't happy about answering that question.

"Um… Tamhigan, you've been gone for over three hundred years." Zach answered hesitantly with a pitiful expression directed towards his guest.

Tamhigan's facial expression didn't change at all from this new information, but a whole cluster of thoughts came rushing into his head. He was horrified that he was gone so long, sad that everyone who ever cared about him were more than likely dead, and that he was now completely alone in a world that he still knew very little about. After a few tense moments of silence, the black dragon shakily placed his good paw on his forehead and started breathing heavily in sorrow. Zach frowned at this and gently placed his massive paw on his guest's back.

"I'm sorry for being the one to tell you this, but its true." the fire dragon said softly with an apologetic expression.

"Where are the graves of my family, Spyro, and Cynder?" Tamhigan questioned with an emotionless tone of voice.

"At the Temple; right next to yours." Frost answered sadly and the kids started to feel pity for the already traumatized dragon.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning." the tribal dragon informed them all as he lowered his paw, revealing a heavy frown.

The family didn't want him to go out by himself so soon, but they understood his need to visit his family's graves. The two adults nodded to his words and they continued eating the rest of their lunch in silence.

Once they were all finished eating, Zach stood up and cleared his throat.

"I'm gonna be working in the basement." the fire dragon informed everyone before he turned to face their guest. "Tamhigan, feel free to make yourself at home. You've earned some rest." he told the black dragon.

Everyone in the room nodded in understanding and Zach walked out. It was at that moment that Tamhigan realized just how tired he actually was. He may have been stuck in that time crystal for over three centuries, but he was just as tired as he was during the battle with Malefor. Frost seemed to realize this and spoke up.

"Would you like to go to sleep?" she asked softly as she lowered her head so they were eye level with one another.

Tamhigan nodded in confirmation as he picked up his gas mask and clipped it to the leather sling his mother made for him all that time ago. The ice dragoness stood up and looked at her children.

"Wait here, I'll be back in a few minutes." she instructed them with a stern tone of voice.

"Okay, mom." Spirit and Flambian spoke in unison, not wanting to upset their mother.

Frost nodded to Tamhigan and led him out of the kitchen. They walked to the stairs that led to the second floor and climbed up. Once they were at the top, she led him over to the second door to the right.

"This is the guest's bedroom. Haller if you need anything." the ice dragoness informed him before she walked back down the stairs to be with her children.

The scarred dragon nodded in thanks before he opened the door and walked into the bedroom. He looked around the room to see that the walls were covered with light blue wallpaper and the floor had a beige carpet. The room contained what one would expect in a bedroom such as a bookshelf and sleeping pillow. Said pillow was white in color and it was half covered in a blue blanket that matched the walls.

Tamhigan walked over to the sleeping pillow and took off his sling that had his mask clipped to it. He placed them on the nightstand before he layed down on the pillow. The black dragon used his remaining forepaw to pull the blanket over him before he closed his eyes. He let out a quiet sigh before sleep overtook him.

* * *

Breathing. All that could be heard within the black void was amplified breathing. There might have been only darkness, but the smell of a forest could me smelled and the feeling of grass could be felt. Tamhigan slowly opened his eyes to see the clear blue sky above him. He slowly sat up and looked himself over, noticing that he was in his human form.

Jack looked at his right arm and sighed when he saw that his hand was missing, just like how his right paw was missing in his dragon form. The only thing that remained of his hand was a burned stump from when he electrocuted it in order to seal the wound. Other than that, his human form was practically unchanged. He was still wearing his all black attire, his gas mask, and helmet. He even felt his ear length hair on his scalp brush against his mask.

The man lightly placed his left hand over the stump on his right arm and looked around the new area he was in. It was the familiar clearing in the forest that had a Native American tribe in the background. A large group of tribals could be seen sitting around a fire and various others were performing everyday activities. They all seemed to be happy and at peace while those with instruments played tribal music.

Jack noticed that one of the natives was walking towards him. He instantly recognized her as Nigawes Ta and she didn't look like she changed much. She was still wearing her deer skin dress and her hair still had beads in it. The only difference she had was that some black face paint could be seen under her eyes.

The Native American woman stopped when she was a few feet away from him and looked at him with a warm smile. The traumatized man always felt at ease with her around, a feeling that no one else could give him. Not even his own family could make him feel as peaceful as this spirit could.

"Baakwinôgwzian, Tamhigan." Nigawes Ta greeted with a respectful bow.

Jack didn't know what she said to him, but he nodded regardless. It was times like this that he really wished he knew his own language. He understood English, Russian, German, even some Spanish, but not his own tribe's language. The spirit seemed to see his frustration despite the gas mask and she gently rested a hand on his shoulder.

The tribal woman opened her mouth to speak again, but closed it when she remembered that he couldn't understand her. She got an idea however and motioned towards one of the fire pits that a few villagers were attending to.

"Skweda." the spirit stated cheerfully and she made fire-like motions with her fingers.

"Fire?" Jack asked quietly with a confused tone of voice; his mask distorting his voice slightly.

"Unh-honh!" Nigawes confirmed with a nod.

She then looked around the village and pointed at the wooden longhouses that they used to sleep in.

"Wig wom." she spoke, hoping he would get it.

"House." he replied with slightly more confidence in his voice, making her smile widen.

"Ndidam unh-honh mina!" Nigawes Ta said excitedly with another nod.

She then looked around the area and pointed at the cloudless, sunny sky.

"Nibuna." the spirit said and she started fanning herself with her hand.

"…Hot?" he asked with his head tilted to the side.

"Nda, nda." Nigawes Ta replied as she shook her head and she motioned towards the area around them before she then started fanning herself again. "Nibuna." she said again.

Jack sighed quietly and rubbed his masked chin in thought. He took a look around again until he finally came up with a valid answer.

"Summer." he stated confidently.

"Uhn-honh!" the spirit replied happily and she pat him on the back as a way of congratulating him.

This went on for what seemed like hours. Nigawes Ta taught Jack the basics of their language and he was able to memorize many of the words. He felt very happy learning about his own culture and he almost completely forgot about his hardships back in the land of the living.

By the time Nigawes Ta finished up her lesson, the world began to get engulfed with a white light. The spirit smiled at Jack as he sighed. He was expecting to return to the Dragon Realms like usually. Unknown to him; that would not be the case. The light got brighter and brighter until Jack completely passed out.

* * *

Jack groaned quietly as his eyes fluttered open to see the summer skies once again. This confused him because he was expecting to see the bedroom's roof. The sound of slow paced metal music could also be heard in the background. It was at that moment that he realized that he was in his father's afterlife.

The masked human sat up and looked directly ahead of him to see a stage that had the words "Cult of Luna" on the front and multiple musicians were playing very slow paced music. He took a moment to listen to some of the lyrics as he stood up on his two feet,

"I can't move, can't turn back… Out of reach, my heart is black… My silent shout… Won't set me free… And time is passing me by…" the lead singer sang with a very low and depressing tone of voice.

Jack's keen ears heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him and turned around to see something he didn't expect. Standing before him were two dragons and a human wearing a black hood. The human was none other than his father, Isaac Bedage. The two adult dragons standing next to him were his mother, Umbra, and his brother, Bedagi.

The gas mask wearing man felt silent tears slide down his face behind his mask as he stared at the spirits of his long dead family. He was overjoyed to see the only people who have ever cared about him in his whole life, but he was saddened to see them in the spirit world because it only reminded him that they died over three-hundred years ago.

"Hello, son." Isaac greeted with a sad smile under his hood and he rested a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"We knew you weren't dead. When we… died… we never found your spirit so we knew you survived your fight with the dark master." Umbra explained with a soft tone of voice.

Jack looked down for a moment, replaying her words in his head. It was probably obvious that everyone thought he was dead. Hell, even he thought he was dead, but he began to think about the sadness that must've befallen his loved ones because of his absence. He looked up again and his eyes widened to see that his father was now a black dragon with the usual scar going across his right eye and he possessed a serrated tailblade. This was actually the first time he's ever seen his father in his dragon form.

"Surprised?" Voltage asked cheerfully, trying to brighten the mood.

Jack silently nodded and looked over his father's form. He now understood how his mother was able to recognize him when they first met. Discluding the scars, different colored wing membranes, and tailblade, they looked very much alike.

He then looked over at his brother, who looked much older than when they last saw one another.

"I prefer my older form." Bedagi explained with a slightly deeper voice than Jack remembered.

All these changes about his family only made him more and more depressed. He felt like he failed them; of course, he'd never voice his opinion. His brother took this moment to explain some things about what happened after his supposed death.

"After your fight with the Dark Master, you became somewhat of a legend. Just like Spyro and Cynder. A statue was built of you at the Temple, stories were written about you, and you just grew in popularity. Even now, the people of the Realms speak of your life, even though none of them know about the human world exactly. Very few people even know that the human world exists." He explained with a smile, feeling proud of his brother's achievements.

"Even though most don't know about the human world, almost everyone does know about humans themselves. I'll explain later." Umbra added as she gently rubbed her son's back with her paw.

Jack looked down once again and thought all of this over. He didn't like that practically everyone knew about him and that he was famous. He just knew that would prove to be a pain in the ass later. He also had a gut feeling that his fame would cause more problems for him in the road ahead.

It was at that moment when he finally realized that he didn't know what to do. Everyone he cared about was dead, he had no more enemies to fight, and seemingly no purpose in life. He had no idea what to do now and even thought about ending his life. Voltage must've expected this because he cleared his throat again.

"I know what you're thinking… and it's not my place to tell you how to solve your problems, but I want you to really think about this before you make a decision. Everyone has a purpose in life." his father explained with a very serious tone of voice.

Jack sighed quietly, but his mask amplifies it, and nodded in understanding. Voltage smiled again and he draped a wing over him.

"That's my boy. Now then, we're almost out of time. Is there anything you want to ask us before you wake up?" his father asked with a raised eyebrow.

The masked human took this moment to really think about his question. He knew that he was working on borrowed time, but he wanted to ask something. He had many questions running through his mind, but he managed to narrow it down to one question that's been bugging him since Zach's kids freed him from the time crystal.

"Will Malefor ever return?" he asked just above a whisper.

"No. When you destroyed the time crystal, it froze you in a stasis-like state, but it completely destroyed the Dark Master. His body and soul were completely dissolved and there is no way he can return. It's as if he never existed; he's just gone." Bedagi answered with a smile.

Jack noticed the honesty in his brother's voice and nodded. He was both thankful for the honest answer and relieved that he didn't' have to worry about that insane dragon anymore. It was at this moment that he realized that the world was starting to get brighter and the band in the background started playing a different song. The current song they were playing was at a slow, depressing melody like the last one, but it eventually picked up and the singer began to screamo scream at a slow pace into the microphone.

"It's time for you to wake up. We will always watch over you." Umbra told him as she and the rest of the family smiled at Jack.

The gas mask wearing human looked up at the sky as the light got brighter and brighter until all he could see was the bright light. His world then faded to black as he woke up to the land of the living.

**The songs used in this chapter are called "Passing Through" and "Dark City, Dead Man" by a Swedish post-metal band called Cult of Luna.**


	3. Advancement in Technology

**Kwai kwai everyone! I like the reactions that you readers had towards the last chapter. I tried to make it very sad and depressing and I'm glad I got such strong reactions. I will give you all fair warning; this will only be the beginning of Tamhigan's new hardships. They say there is light at the end of the tunnel and Tamhigan's dark tunnel is longer than most would be able to handle. I also wanted to say that me and fellow author, GD12, are working on a story together. His story is called "The legend of Spyro: The Forsworn." You guys should check that shit out because it's good. Anyway, remember to leave a review or send a PM my way!**

Chapter 3: Advancement in Technology

Tamhigan woke up from his sleep because he felt something applying pressure to his chest. He slowly opened his eyes to see Flambian and Spirit hopping on his chest and laughing as they did so. He raised an eyebrow at them and they stopped jumping with a few chuckles.

"Daddy told us to wake you up because he wants to see you." the young ice dragoness cheerfully answered his unasked question.

"He's waiting for you in the basement." her brother added with a small smile.

The post-apocalyptic dragon nodded in understanding and the two children hopped off his chest. Once they were off of him, he stood up and performed a quick stretch to pop his bones back into place. The kids left as he did this so they could play together and the black dragon looked outside via the window after he finished with his morning stretching.

He had a clear view of the sun rising over the horizon and it made the grassy fields look very nice. The scarred dragon assumed that he slept all day yesterday and through the night. He was just happy that he got a full night of sleep without any nightmares or flashbacks for once.

Tamhigan remembered what the kids said and quickly put on his sling with his gas mask still clipped onto it. Before he did anything, he made sure to unclip his gas mask and place it over his face. He then walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. He noticed that Frost was making breakfast for everyone, but chose to ignore it for now. Instead, he approached the door leading to the basement and opened it. He climbed down the stairs and looked around the area he was now in.

He was in a decently sized room that had stone walls and a bright wooden floor. The room was well lit with scented candles that made the room smell like roses. There was a large table to the side that was covered with tools and scraps of metal. Next to the table was a weapon wrack that had a few swords and maces resting on it. Lastly, there were a few muskets hanging on the walls, which surprised Tamhigan because he thought this Realm didn't have the technology for guns.

The black dragon was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of someone walking up to him. He turned to look to the left of him to see Zach standing there with a kind smile.

"Sup Tamhigan. How'd you sleep?" the fire dragon asked curiously as he led the younger dragon over to the table with the tools.

"Fine." the masked dragon answered simply as he looked over all the tools and noticed a wooden box in the middle of the table

"Wanna see what's inside?" the larger dragon questioned with a small smirk.

Tamhigan nodded at the question and Zach slowly opened the wooden box. The post-apocalyptic dragon was somewhat confused with what was inside. It was what looked like a paw that was made completely out of steel that had a shiny gray surface. The claws had a serrated edge on the curved side and the side that would be touching the ground was flat.

"Hold up your front right leg." the fire dragon ordered with a smile.

The black dragon was still confused, but did as instructed and raised his right foreleg up. Zach gently took the metal paw out of the box and pressed the ankle edge against Tamhigan's stump. The scarred dragon winced a little when he felt some sharp edges dig into the burn scars, but he didn't pull away. Zach used one of the tools to tighten the steel plates around the sump until none of the burn scars were visible and it was locked into place.

He grabbed a small slab on the back end of the paw and opened up a little slot that was empty. He then reached into the box again and pulled out a small, red life gem that glowed lightly with power. The fire dragon placed the gem into the slot before he slid it closed.

"Move your paw." Zach instructed as he pulled his own paws away and watched his creation.

Tamhigan just got more confused, but he thought about moving the paw is if it was real. He actually gasped when the metal paw's talons slowly clenched and unclenched, just like how he willed it to. He raised his new biomechanical paw above his face as he moved each individual talon with wide eyes behind his mask.

"Say hello to the Steel Claws. It's a prototype that I made and the first of its kind." Zach commented with a smile and he puffed his chest out in pride.

"It's… amazing…" the masked dragon replied honestly as he lowered his paw and heard the steel click against the floor. "How…?" he asked with total astonishment in his deep voice.

"Back when I lived in a settlement called Blizzard; I spent a lot of time building weapons for the military there. I even went in service for a few years. I'm retired now, but I still build weapons and sell them to militaries from all the way back home to Warfang. I work down here so the kids aren't able to touch the stuff I build. I saw that you were missing a paw and I spent the whole night last night building that for you." Zach explained with a warm smile. "It's also free of charge. You don't have to pay me anything." he added quickly.

Tamhigan was rather impressed with the older dragon's skills. Back on Earth, he taught himself how to build homemade weapon attachments for guns, so he could somewhat relate. He then felt himself thinking more and more of his hell hole of a world.

"So, are you gonna leave today?" Zach asked suddenly, bringing his guest out of his thoughts.

"I was planning on leaving now." the post-apocalyptic dragon confirmed with a small nod, knowing the adult dragon wouldn't like his answer.

"Don't you want to have breakfast before you go?" the fire dragon asked with a sad frown.

"No." the scarred answered as he shook his head.

"Well, let's go tell the rest of my family then." Zach sighed before he walked up the stairs.

Tamhigan followed close behind and his metal claws clicked whenever he took a step with the biomechanical paw. They made their way into the kitchen, where the rest of Zach's family had already started breakfast.

"There you two are. I hope you're hungry." Frost commented as she looked up at them with a warm smile.

"Actually… Tamhigan just told me that he's leaving." her mate informed them all.

"Aaawww…" the two children whined sadly.

"I know, I know, but he has to do what he thinks is necessary." Zach defended as he rested his mighty paw on the black dragon's shoulder.

"Would you like some food to go?" the ice dragoness asked their guest as she stood up.

Tamhigan didn't want to trouble her and almost said no, but he nodded for some reason. Frost nodded back before she got some bread and meat together. She made a few sandwiches and put them in a bag made out of gray cloth and she clipped the bag to his sling for him.

The post-apocalyptic dragon nodded in thanks and the ice dragoness smiled lightly. She noticed that he had a metal paw now and immediately determined that her mate made it for him.

"Where are you goin?" Spirit asked as she looked up at the heavily scarred dragon.

"The Temple." he answered quietly.

The two children frowned as they quickly stood up and hugged him. Tamhigan was taken aback by this, but he slowly hugged them back with his dark green wings, making the parents smile. The kids soon pulled away and the masked dragon walked towards the door.

"Goodbye, Tamhigan. May the Ancestors watch over you." Zach praised as his family watched the black scaled hero open the front door.

The scarred dragon stopped dead in his tracks from this and looked over his shoulder at them all.

"The Ancestors are gonna sit this one out." he told them before he walked out and shut the door behind him.

* * *

Tamhigan has been traveling for a few hours now with little rest. He knew that he was exiting the Awan Plains because he noticed more and more trees and he was now in a full blown forest. He traveled for a long period of time and rested only once to eat one of the sandwiches that Frost made for him.

The former human had spent much of his time without rest back on Earth, so this journey didn't really bother him that much. He realized that this was taking much longer than needed and he realized that he had wings. Cursing his forgetfulness, he took flight with a mighty flap of the wings and flew over the forest.

He took in the sights as he flew and noticed that the geography of the area hasn't changed much. He saw the giant mushrooms of the swamps in the distance and flew straight for them, knowing that the Temple was within the swamps.

It didn't take long for the gas mask dragon to reach the swamps and he searched around the area. The tall mushrooms blacked out most of the ground, but the Temple could be spotted in the distance. Wanting to get there quickly, he flew over to it as fast as he could and he reached the ancient structure within a few minutes.

The Temple itself looked old as ever, but many new things could be noticed as well. It looked like the large building got an extension sometime within the last three-hundred years and the Temple as a whole looked well maintained. Many young students could be seen doing their daily activities or simply heading to their next class. Another new feature was that there were now cheetah guards stationed here and there. There weren't many of them, but they were each armed with a flintlock pistol.

Tamhigan landed near the Temple's front doors and everyone stopped to stare at him. He felt uncomfortable with all the eyes on him and even a few of the guards eyed him.

"Is that… Tamhigan… THE Tamhigan?" one of the students asked suddenly with wide eyes that were filled with amazement.

Almost as soon as that student said that, everyone started mumbling amongst themselves. Some of them were excited that such a great hero has supposedly returned from the dead, yet others were more skeptical.

"Is it true? Are you Tamhigan?" a young poison dragoness asked with a hopeful tone of voice.

The masked dragon didn't answer immediately and carefully eyed everyone in the area, taking in each of their features. He saw dragons of every element and even a few dragons that had fins instead of horns or wings. He finally looked back at the young poison dragoness once he had enough looking.

"Yes." he answered quietly with his head down.

Everyone's eyes widened and everyone bowed their heads in respect. Tamhigan tilted his head to the side, confused by this strange action. Once everyone raised their heads again, one of the cheetahs stepped forward.

"I recommend you go see the Guardians. They're gonna want to speak with you." he suggested with a stern nod.

After he said that, everyone cleared a path that led to the Temple doors. Tamhigan hated… no, despised all the attention, but walked down the new path regardless. Some of the students thanked him or said how great he was as he passed them, but he completely ignored them and didn't' even acknowledge them at all.

He entered the Temple and resorted to memory in order to find the Pool of Visions room despite the fancier looking halls and refurnished floor tiles. Everyone he passed went wide eyed when they saw him, but they were also ignored. Every shocked expression just reminded him of how alone he actually was and how he had no one living who actually cared about him anymore.

The traumatized dragon approached the door that led to the Pool of Visions room and knocked three times with his right paw. The biomechanical paw made his knocks even louder than normal and he waited patiently for a response as all the students behind him stared. His frown deepened behind his gas mask as he heard the dragons behind him mumbling about him and his eye twitched when one of the girls mentioned that she wanted to mate with him. He's always hated sex and would rather die than take part in it. Not after what happened when he was just a child. Just the memory alone sent shivers up his spine and he shook his head to clear his mind before he could experience another flashback.

"Enter." a deep male voice ordered from the other side of the door.

Tamhigan did as told and entered the Pool of Visions room, making sure to shut the door behind him. There were eight adult dragons standing around the Pool and he assumed that they were the new Guardians. They each turned to regard him, but they immediately recognized him and about half of them bore shocked expressions.

"By the Ancestors! Are you Tamhigan?" the fire dragon who possessed the deep voice from earlier asked with amazement.

"Yes." the masked dragon answered with a quiet grown, making it clear that he didn't want any praise or special treatment.

"Forgive us if we offended you. We just thought you were killed three centuries ago." the wind dragoness apologized.

"Allow me to introduce us. My name is… Rädsla. The fire dragon is Brand, the ice dragoness is Snö, Jord is the earth dragon, the electric dragon is Stöt, the wind dragoness is Vind, Mörker is the shadow dragon, and Orm is the poison dragoness. We are the Guardians." the fear dragon greeted with a wolfish grin.

Snö had a curvy body and dark blue scales. Both her underbelly and wing membranes were light blue as well as her eyes. She possessed tow white horns that poked straight up like spikes. Her white tail ended with a tailblade in the shape of an icicle. She seemed to be the youngest Guardian out of them all.

Stöt had golden colored scales with yellow colored eyes. He had a yellow-orange underbelly and wing membranes as well as a lighting shaped tailblade. Six horns were resting on his head and they were also in the shape of lightning bolts.

Vind possessed a very smooth and curvy body that had light gray scales. Her eyes were also gray and her underbelly and wing membranes were white. She had three curved horns with the middle horn resting on the top of her head her tailblade resembled a spike.

Orm on the other hand, had a slightly slim body with dark green scales. Her underbelly was a shade of black and her wing membranes were lime green. Her eye color was green like her scales and her tailblade resembled a medical needle. On her head were two ram horns and a spike jutting out of the top of her head.

Brand was a more muscular fire dragon with red scales and eyes. His underbelly was yellow and his wing membranes were orange in color. He possessed two yellow horns that curbed back and two tailblade that were side by side each other.

Jord was a very overweight dragon with dark green eyes. The scales on his hide were brown in color. His underbelly and wing membranes were like his eyes, dark green. On his head were two ram horns that were a lighter shade of brown and his tailblade resembled a double edged hammer.

Mörker was black dragon with an average build. His underbelly was gray and his wing membranes were blood red. Contrasting with the rest of his body, his eyes were bright gold in color. He had four gray horns on his head that somewhat spiraled. Also, his gray tailblade resembled a hook.

Lastly, Rädsla was a skinny fear dragon with dark red scales. Both his underbelly and wing membranes were pitch black and even his eye color was black. His four horns were black and they had a slight curve to them. The end of his tail had a cross shaped tailblade and he had a black sling going over his shoulder and to his side. There was a black bag strapped to his side that seemed like it contained an item, but Tamhigan didn't really care about what could be inside it.

"So, how did you survive? How is it that you're here with us now?" Jord asked with honest curiosity.

Tamhigan sighed heavily. He didn't want to talk, but he knew he had no choice at the moment.

"I didn't die… I was stuck in a time crystal and just recently escaped." the masked dragon explained quietly, hoping his answer would satisfy them enough to drop the subject.

"I'm sure we all have questions, but I can tell you're not the talking type and you came for a reason." Mörker spoke as he looked over Tamhigan, as if studying him.

"I came to visit my loved ones' graves." the post-apocalyptic dragon informed them all.

"Ah, yes. There is a cemetery down the path behind the school. I'll lead you to it." Rädsla offered as he stepped forward.

Tamhigan didn't' like the Fear Guardian's constant smirk, but he ignored it for now and nodded. The Guardian nodded back and looked over his shoulder at the others.

"I'll return shortly. Stay out of my office as usual." he told them as he opened the door for Tamhigan.

The other Guardians nodded in understanding and the temporary duo walked out of the Pool of Visions room, making sure to shut the door behind them.

'I can't believe I'm actually meeting the great Tamhigan. I'll have to show him how much I appreciate his efforts against the damned Dark Master. Oh yes… you'll make an excellent test subject.' Rädsla thought sadistically in his head as he led the black dragon down the hall and outside.


	4. Death is too Merciful

**Kwai kwai nidobak! There are a few things I wanna say before we get this chapter started. First of all, I'd like to thank you all because I got so many reviews for just three chapters. It blows my mind that there are over twenty of them and this story just barely started. A frequent question I've been asked is if and when I'd start the sequel to Dead Realm. I AM gonna make a second one, but I'm not gonna start it until I'm at least done with this story. Now that I've dealt with that, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 4: Death is too Merciful

Tamhigan and Rädsla have been walking side by side for a little over a minute now since they exited the Temple. They were currently walking down a dirt path in the swamp that led to the cemetery. It was about midday and the wildlife were performing their daily routine.

The post-apocalyptic dragon sighed quietly as they finally approached the graveyard. Something about Rädsla made him very uneased and nervous. He was hoping that his guide would leave now.

Much to his frustration, the Fear Guardian followed him into the cemetery and down the rows of graves. The black dragon decided to push his unease to the side for now and focus on the goal at hand, to find his loved ones' graves.

"It's over there." Rädsla said all of a sudden and he pointed as a statue made of marble of a dragon.

Tamhigan nodded in thanks and they approached the statue. He was surprised to find out that the statue was of him and it was a memorial in his honor. There was also some light blue electricity crackling on a base of the statue that has been there for nearly as long as he was presumed dead. The statue itself looked like it's been well maintained and there were even some flowers left next to the electricity as an offering.

The masked dragon looked to the left of the statue to see the graves of Spyro, Cynder, Pelko, and the guardians in a row. He then looked to the right to see Umbra, Bedagi, and Voltage's graves. This made him very upset and he fell down to his hunches in grief. He couldn't even comprehend the amount of sadness he felt as he stared at the graves of his loved ones. The pain he felt in his very soul was far greater than any wound he's ever received and it filled his being with hate and anger. Rädsla saw this and actually took a step back.

"You alright, Tamhigan?" he asked as casually if nothing was wrong.

"No." the traumatized dragon answered as he shakily grabbed a red rose that was left for him and he crushed it in his grip.

'He really loved them. I could use this information. I won't do anything now, though. I'll let him mourn in peace.' the Fear Guardian thought to himself before he started walking away, much to Tamhigan's relief.

The post-apocalyptic dragon released the crushed rose and took off his gas mask in respect. He looked at the light blue electricity in front of the statue of him and inhaled deeply. He exhaled a small stream of his own electricity and the electrical current on the statue changed from light to dark blue.

Once that was finished, he walked placed his metal paw next to the lettering on the base of the statue. He looked at the letters and it read "Rest in Peace, Tamhigan. Second savior of the Dragon Realms." This made him frown heavily and he slowly dragged his serrated claws down the carved words, scratching them out so no one could read it. He had half a mind to destroy the statue completely, but he decided not to at the last minute.

Tamhigan sighed sadly as he looked at the other graves around the statue. He felt like he would never find happiness and he considered ending his life there and then. Despite all of these horrible events, he decided against it because of one simple thing. There were monstrous people in this world and he knew that he had to stop them the only way he knew how; murder.

The former human slowly placed his mask over his head once more, finding comfort from his amplified breathing. He then lowered his head to mourn those of the dead.

* * *

Rädsla walked into his office with a quiet sigh. He closed the door behind him so he wouldn't be disturbed. He took this moment to make sure no one's been in his office. It looked like any other office and it was well maintained. The room was clean and the paperwork was well organized. The only thing that looked out of line was a single book on the bookshelf that was sticking slightly further out than the other books.

The fear dragon walked over to the book and pulled it further out. All of a sudden, the bookcase slowly slid to the side, revealing a hidden passage with a set of stairs leading downwards. The tunnel was dark, but just light enough to see ahead.

He walked down the hidden passage with his wolfish grin and he saw a metal door at the end of the stairs. Not wanting to waste time, he opened it up and closed it after he entered the new room. The room looked more like a dungeon that was had stone walls and a wooden floor. On one side of the room was a table that was littered with iron plates and blacksmith tools. On the other side was a bunch of chains and the bones of various dragons, moles, and cheetahs. It also seemed that both adults and children were killed in this very room.

There was one thing that stood out from everything else. In the middle of the room was a teenaged cheetah strapped to chair. The chair itself was bolted to the floor and the straps were made of black leather. The cheetah had tan fur and he was wearing nothing, but underwear. It could also be determined that he was in his teenage years. The feline was male and he seemed to be out cold at the moment.

The Fear Guardian's grin widened when he heard his captive groan and opened his eyes. The cheetah groggily looked around the dark room he was in and eventually at his captor.

"Hello, little cat. Did you sleep well?" Rädsla asked politely as he looked down at the smaller cheetah.

"…What? Where am I?" the feline questioned, obviously terrified.

"Where you are doesn't matter. Just relax… I'm the Guardian of Fear. I'll protect you." the fear black eyed dragon soothed as he gently rubbed his captive's cheek, making him shudder.

"P-p-please… don't' hurt me, sir…" he begged shakily as he fearfully looked up at the dragon.

The fear dragon just chuckled and leaned forward so their faces were almost touching.

"Do you know what's in my bag?" Rädsla asked suddenly, confusing the cheetah.

Before he could answer, the Fear Guardian opened the black bag strapped to his side and took out a metal object. He was holding a mask made of iron, but it was different compared to other masks. It greatly resembled Tamhigan's gas mask, except it was silvery gray rather than straight black. If one looked closely, they could also see that there were small holes on the respirators.

The cheetah nervously looked at the mask as the fear dragon put it over his face and strapped it onto his scaled face.

"Have you ever seen the statue of the great Tamhigan? I based this mask off of his. Took me two months to make it." Rädsla explained casually as his breathing was amplified because of the gas mask.

"Wha-why are you showing me this?" the feline as with a quiet whimper.

The Fear Guardian didn't answer and just smiled behind his mask. He inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. All of a sudden, a crimson red mist started to leak out of the holes on the mask's respirators. The cheetah started panicking as the mist enveloped him and he felt panic stricken. He clenched his eyelids shut and prayed.

Nothing happened however and the cheetah fearfully opened his eyes. He was shocked however when he saw that he was in what looked like and abandoned cabin and Rädsla was nowhere in sight. The cabin seemed very dull when it came to colors and it looked very dirty. It was as if no one had been there in years. The last thing he noticed was that he wasn't restrained to a chair anymore.

"What the fuck…?" the feline asked shakily as he stood up and looked around.

"Honey… could you come into the kitchen for a moment?" a female voice asked from the other room.

'Mom?' the cheetah asked in amazement and he quickly walked into the next room where the voice originated.

The kitchen was just as dirty as the other room he was in and it had an aura of dread. The sink was filled with dirty dishes, the floor was littered with food crumbs, and the wallpaper was peeling off the walls.

At the kitchen table, an elderly cheetah woman was sitting down. She was in the process of making a sandwich and she was currently cutting some slices of turkey with a kitchen knife.

"Mom… what happened to the cabin? How did I get here?" the half naked cheetah asked as he looked around the ill-maintained kitchen.

"Oh honey, I haven't had much time to clean lately. I've been too busy with the gardening. And what do you mean, 'How did I get here?' We live together, silly." his mother answered with a warm smile.

The male cheetah was very confused by this, but decided not to question his mother and sat down in the chair opposite of her. He took a quick glance at the nearby window to see that it was a foggy night outside. He couldn't even see the trees because the fog was so thick. He turned to face her mother again however when she cleared her throat.

"So, how was your nap?" she asked cheerfully as she cut a slice of cheese to put in the sandwich she was making.

"Not good. I had a nightmare that the dragon Guardian of Fear kidnapped me." her son answered with a slight shiver.

"I'm sorry to hear that, hon. Here, I made you this." she replied before she slid the now finish sandwich towards him.

"Thanks, mom." the cheetah told her with a smile before he took a bite out of his meal, savoring the taste.

"You're welcome. Hey, wanna see a magic trick to make you feel better?" the female cheetah asked with a warm smile.

"Okay, sure." her son replied after he swallowed his second bite.

His mother's smile widened and she leaned forward a little. She opened her mouth wide and goofily stuck her tongue out, making the teenager chuckle. His smile quickly turned into a look of confusion when she held the knife she was carrying ring under her chin.

"Um… mom? What are you doing?" the half naked cheetah asked nervously.

She didn't answer and slowly raised the knife. The male cheetah's eyes widened in horror as she slowly pierced her own tongue with the knife until the end of the blade cut all the way through the tongue.

"MOM!" he screamed in terror as he bolted up, knocking the chair over in the process.

His mother's eyes began going from blue in color to milky white and she ripped the blade out of there now bloody tongue, ripping the muscle in to pieces. Blood splattered on her son's face and half of her tongue fell onto the table as she stood up as well and threatening held the knife up.

"AAAUUUGGGHH!" she screamed with a distorted voice as she slowly walked around the table and towards her son.

The young cheetah screamed back out of fear and ran out of the kitchen as fast as he could. He slammed the wooden door shut behind him and looked around to try to find a way to defend himself. It didn't take long to hear his mother furiously smashing against the door in an attempt to get to him. Panicking, he desperately searched the room for a way of fending her off. The only useful things he could find however was a box of matches and a small pot filled with oil that was used for torches.

All of his sudden, he heard a crash at the door and he turned around to see his milky white eyed mother glaring at him. She pointed her blood covered knife at him and started to menacingly walk forward.

Thinking fast, the terrified cheetah scooped up the pot of oil and splashed the oil all over his mother. She just growled at him and walked slightly faster. He quickly backed up against the wall and picked up the match box. He took out a single match and scratched the tip against the side of the box, lighting it. He shakily held the match in front of his face as a warning to his mother to stay back. She didn't heed his warning however and continued walking.

'I'm sorry!' he screamed in his head before he tossed the match at the elderly cheetah.

His mother immediately went up in flames once the match connected and she screamed at the top of her lungs with her distorted voice. Her clothes and the fur covering her body quickly burned away into nothing as she burned. Her flesh began to bubble up as her blood boiled from the intense heat and her eyes melted in her eye sockets.

Her son screamed at the top of his lungs in pure horror as she continued walking toward him despite everything and she raised her bringing knife over her head to strike. He breathed erratically as he stared at the burring blade with wide eyes and the fur on his face was covered sweat. His heart pumped at a very fast pace in his chest from the pure terror.

All of a sudden, the world around the terrified cheetah faded into a black void and all of his senses went away. He immediately went limp as all of his systems shut down and he died suddenly.

* * *

Rädsla grinned from ear-to-ear behind his metal gas mask as he looked at the young cheetah's corpse. He's seen his victims die like this many times before. His fear breath was enough to literally scare the half naked cheetah to death. The masked dragon looked into the corpse's wide open eyes, looking into the very terror in those lifeless, blue orbs.

"Thank you for your assistance, young one. You've been a good test subject." the Fear Guardian told the dead cheetah with a chuckle as he loosened the straps.

He scooped the dead body onto his back and carried him over to the corner with all the bones of his past victims. With a light grunt, he tossed the corpse onto the floor. He then took off his iron gas mask and stuffed it into the bag strapped to his side.

'Too bad he didn't last longer. I was starting to have fun watching him suffer." the fear dragon thought casually as he closed the bag and walked over to his desk.

Rädsla cleared some of the metal plates and tools to clear a space and opened the desk's drawer. He took out what looked like a journal and set it down on the cleared space. The book didn't' have a title and only had a black cover. He then opened it up to an empty page and picked u a quill.

_Entry 87,_

_I've just finished up with the cheetah I kidnapped from the Valley of Avalar. I forget his name, but I really don't give a damn what it was. He was a pathetic bitch anyway. It didn't even take that big of a dose to get him screaming. I looked at what his biggest fear was and it wasn't impressive at all. It was just another case of teratophobia with a hint of ataxophobia and automysophobia. Watching other people experience their worst nightmares is fun and all, but I want to see someone who can show me something new; something I've never seen before. The only one that can give me that is probably the great Tamhigan himself. He's no doubt more powerful than me, so I'll just have to somehow outsmart him. We'll see who wins this game of chess._

Rädsla put his quill down once he finished writing and he looked it over to check for spelling errors. Satisfied with the end result, he closed the black book and placed it back into the drawer in the desk. He then sat back in his seat and was immediately lost in thought.

He started thinking about his past a little and how he came to be the Guardian of Fear. He recalled how he had to go through years of training and he would do what he did to the cheetah earlier whenever he had free time. He never told anyone of this of course. The last thing he needed was for there to be an investigation. Not even the other Guardians knew about his activities or the secret torture room he had.

'They have their own dirty little secrets anyway. No point in calling names now.' the Fear Guardian thought to himself as he rested his head on his left paw.

It was at that moment that Rädsla remembered that he was supposed to teach a class soon. He sighed quietly as he slowly stood up and walked towards the metal door. He craned his neck to look behind him and took one final look at the cheetah's corpse. He flashed a wolfish grin at the corpse and chuckled darkly with a laugh that put Malefor's laugh to shame. He then walked out to attend to his regular duties.


	5. Hidden Secrets

**Kwai kwai everyone! I've noticed that almost all of you were greatly disturbed by what Rädsla did in the last chapter and I'm proud of myself because I was able to disturb all of you so. I just wanted to let you know that he is gonna be a major problem later on, but he will not be the only main antagonist in this story. Lastly, I read in a review that someone thinks that Malefor will indirectly return. I just want to clear that up and say that he will not return in any way, shape, or form. This story isn't about him. Now then, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 5: Hidden Secrets

Tamhigan had been mourning his friends and family for a little under a half hour now. During this time, he stood in front of each individual grave to pay his respects. He wasn't used to doing such things, but it made his heart feel more at ease. Ironically, he spent the most time at his own memorial. While he was mourning at the statue of himself, he thought about everything that should've killed him, but he somehow survived it all.

Just when the black dragon was about to finally leave, he heard footsteps approaching him. He looked up and turned around to see Orm walking towards him. Curious, he raised an eyebrow behind his mask as the poison dragoness stopped in front of him.

"Been out here long enough?" the Poison Guardian asked with a straight face. "The other Guardians sent me to see if you were okay." she explained before he could reply.

Tamhigan thought that was a little disrespectful, but he decided not to speak his thoughts and looked away. She followed his gaze and looked out at the swamps.

"Beautiful isn't it? Much better than staying cooped up in the Temple. Most others find the swamps to be a place of filth, but I see nothing but beauty." Orm smiled as she walked over to a white flower growing around some mud.

The post-apocalyptic dragon decided to follow her to take a look at the flower himself. He wasn't sure what she was getting at, but it seemed benign enough.

"See this flower? It looks pretty, doesn't it? Well, these flower pedals produce muscle numbing venom that most rapists use before they abduct their victims. You could purchase a vial of the venom at any alchemist shop." the dark green scaled dragoness explained as she lightly stuck her needle like tailblade into one of the flower pedals.

Tamhigan was more suspicious of her intensions after she said that. He wasn't' sure if she was just trying to make a conversation, rambling, giving him a lesson, or explaining some sort of plot to him. Either way, he took a cautionary step back.

The Poison Guardian didn't seem to notice his movement and she slowly dug her tailblade deeper into the flower. She then began to suck out some of the venom into her tailblade. It was easily visible because some parts of her tailblade was see-through and the venom could be seen inside without much trouble.

Once it was completely filled, she slowly pulled her tailblade away and examined the green fluids inside it. It was at that moment that she noticed that Tamhigan had backed away and she let out a chuckle.

"What? Scared that I'm gonna inject you with venom and take you away?" Orm asked with a dark grin.

The masked dragon didn't reply and simply glared at her through his gas mask's angry looking lenses. She simply chuckled at him and lowered her tailblade.

"Relax… I'm just joking. I wouldn't dare try to hurt you." the poison dragoness assured with a slight bow of respect.

Tamhigan didn't believe her in the slightest, but visibly relaxed regardless. First he felt uneased when he was around Rädsla, and now this dragoness was giving him the chills. She just chuckled and pat him on the back, making him flinch.

"Let's head back to the Temple before we are missed." Orm suggested as she nodded towards the cemetery's gates.

The post-apocalyptic dragon nodded in understanding and he hesitantly followed her out of the graveyard. They walked down the dirt path and made sure not to step in the mud. The Poison Guardian spoke suddenly when they were about halfway to the Temple.

"So, are you planning on becoming a student here again?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow, honestly curious.

"…I don't know." Tamhigan answered honestly after a short moment of silence.

"Well, you're still young. I personally think you should become a full student here again, but it's your choice." Orm replied with a shrug.

They walked in silence after that and approached the Temple. Just before they could walk inside, Mörker opened the door and stepped outside. He held a calm expression and his golden eyes immediately looked at Tamhigan.

"Have you payed your respects?" the Shadow Guardian questioned emotionlessly.

The masked dragon nodded as an answer and the adult shadow dragon nodded back.

"You heading back to your cave?" Orm asked curiously as she looked at her fellow Guardian.

"Yeah. I have work I need to do." Mörker answered her before he turned to look at Tamhigan again. "I've given you an apartment outside the Temple. Apartment 3. Unfortunately, your old one burned down in a fire about a century ago.

The post-apocalyptic dragon simply nodded in understanding and the Shadow Guardian walked passed them.

"Hi lives in a cave out in the swamps. He's a very private person." the Poison Guardian answered Tamhigan's unasked question.

Orm walked into the Temple without a word and the black scaled dragon walked off to seek out his apartment.

It didn't take him long to find the apartment building and he approached it. This apartment was meant for the more wealthy students who didn't' want to stay in a single room within the Temple. The students easily spotted Tamhigan and they came swarming towards him.

"Wow, it's really him!" an electric dragon said excitedly as he bounced in excitement.

"Maybe my fantasies are possible after all." an ice dragoness said quietly with a blushed smile.

"Damn, you're a stud. Those scars make you look HOT!" a water dragoness commented with a sensual growl.

Tamhigan held a deep frown behind his mask, not liking the attention at all. He wordlessly pushed through the crowd until her reached his apartment and burst through the door. He slammed it shut behind him and locked it as soon as he could. He could hear the crowd's disappointment outside, but he ignored them.

The gas mask dragon took this moment to look around the new environment. The apartment looked similar to his mother's, but this one was a little smaller and it looked newer looking. He sighed heavily and walked through the door that he assumed would lead to the bedroom. His guess was correct and he looked around the room, which had the basic essentials of any bedroom.

The traumatized dragon took off his gas mask at this moment and set it down on the nightstand next to him. He sighed heavily as he sat down on the seating pillow and got lost in thought, thinking about everything he went through since he arrived in the Dragon Realms.

* * *

Mörker had been walking down one of the dirt trails for awhile until he came upon a cave. He quickly looked around the swampy area, checking to see if anyone was around. When he determined that he was alone, he entered the cave.

The inside of the cave was very dark, but it didn't bother him because he could see into the dark with ease. The Shadow dragon kept walking down the rocky tunnel with ease and he soon came upon a wooden door with a padlock. He took a key out of the small bag on his side and slid it in the lock. He heard it click when he turned the key and he opened the door.

'Home sweet home.' Mörker thought to himself as he shut the door behind him and looked around his bedroom.

The room he was lit with a few torches on the wall and there was a large sleeping pillow. There was also a bookshelf to the side and two pair of nightstands between the sleeping pillow. There was also a seating pillow in the corner. The last thing in the room was a young shadow dragoness who was chained to the wall.

"Hello, Dusk." the shadow dragon greeted with a chuckle.

The young dragoness, now known as Dusk, was most likely nine or ten years old and she had black scales. Her underbelly was light red and her wing membranes were brick red. Two gray horns that were spiraled rested on her head while her tail ended with a gray spike. Her ankles and neck were shackled that were attached to chains that stuck to the stone wall. She looked up at the bigger dragon with fear in her golden colored eyes.

"Please, brother… don't hurt me." Dusk begged quietly with a whimper.

He just ignored her and walked over to his desk, which had piles of paperwork on it. He quickly skimmed over the first few piles before he simply lost interest in whatever the papers were about.

"I met the great Tamhigan today. I bet father would've said something how I was lying to get attention and you probably would've backed him up." Mörker commented as he pushed the paperwork to the side.

"Please… I already hate myself for doing it, but he would've hurt me like he did to you." the child begged as she backed up against the wall. "And like you do to me now." she added quietly with her head down.

The Shadow Guardian immediately stopped what he was doing after she said that and her turned to face her. He bolted up from his seat and walked right up to her at a fast pace.

"I don't pity your situation. I enjoy watching you suffer. I like to watch you cry yourself to sleep every night." he hissed menacingly.

"Why?" the little dragoness asked as she started to tear up from how cruel her bro own brother was being to her.

"Blame our father." Mörker growled before he roughly smacked her across the face with the back of his large paw.

Dusk yelped in pain and a red mark appeared on her cheek where she was hit. She was very little when their father was still around and she didn't understand why their father caused her brother to attack his own little sister.

"You don't like me hurting you, do you?" the Shadow Guardian asked sadistically as he rubbed her now reddened cheek with the same paw that caused it.

She just shook her head, keeping her eyes closed. She knew that more pain was coming now and she started sobbing. He just smiled at her and gently rested a talon under her chin.

"I'll give you a choice this time. I can either beat you to unconsciousness again… or you can play with the bugs from my collection." Mörker explained casually as if nothing was wrong with what he just said.

"B-bugs?" she asked with a noticeable shudder as she opened her eyes again.

"Yes." the larger dragon smiled as he reached over to one of the drawers and opened it.

He took out a small box that was black in color and set it down in front of the sister. He slowly opened it and one by one, took out some jars and rested them in front of the box. Each jar had a single insect within them that ranged from simple beetles and grasshoppers to wasps and leeches. He looked at his sister again and smiled when he noticed her wide open eyes and quivering lower lip.

"Let's start easy and work our way up." Mörker suggested as he picked up a jar with a dung beetle inside it.

He held it up so she could see it and opened it at a slow pace. He then tilted the container over and shook it lightly, making the beetle fall out and land on Dusk's shoulder. Once the insect landed on her, she immediately arched her neck to get as far away from it as possible, but didn't dare move her legs. The last thing she wanted to do was upset her brother by moving away.

This made the Shadow Guardian cackle evilly and he watched his beetle slowly crawl onto his sister's arched neck and under her chin. She started breathing heavily and shut her eyes tightly, trying desperately not to think about what was happening to her.

After a little under a minute, Mörker picked up the beetle and put it back in the jar. She visibly relaxed when he set the jar down and sighed in relief. She was still scared though because she knew this was only the beginning.

"What next? How about… a mosquito?" her brother asked as he picked up the jar with one of the parasites within it.

Dusk's lip quivered in fear once more and she whimpered as she watched the slightly oversized bug stare at her.

"Don't worry about getting sick from this little one. She doesn't have any diseases in her." the larger dragon assured as he placed the lid end of the jar against her stomach.

He quickly opened the jar and smiled as the mosquito immediately flew towards his sister. She flinched when it jabbed its needle-like appendage in between the scales on her underbelly and she cringed. Mörker just smiled at her fear and frustration as he pet her head like an animal. She whimpered quietly throughout all of this, especially from his touch. She was actually more scared of him than the parasite sucking her out her blood.

Once the bug was finished feeding, it pulled away and flew back into the jar. The Shadow Guardian quickly closed the lid and kissed his sister on the head, making her flinch. He looked down at where she was bitten and smiled when he saw a small bump that the mosquito left behind.

"Did my bug make your tummy itchy?" he asked childishly as he placed he jar on the ground.

Dusk just closed her eyes again and nodded. Her brother leaned forward and chuckled right into her earhole and he gently scratched the bug bite with his talons. She lightly sighed in relief from this, but got scared again when he pulled his paw away after a bit.

Mörker grinned as he grabbed one of the jars and held it up for her to see. There was a lone wasp in the container and it angrily buzzed at her. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw it and she tried to squirm away, but the held her in an iron grip with his free paw.

"What's the matter? You don't like this one?" the bigger dragon asked almost sweetly and the wasp tried and failed to sting through the glass to get to her.

The young dragoness shakily shook her head as a reply and whimpered with a tear in her eye. Mörker didn't care what her opinion was however and he opened the jar. He quickly pressed the lid end of it against her chest so it wouldn't get out and it bolted straight at her. Once it landed on her scales, it pierced into her with its stinger, making her gasp in pain.

"MAKE IT STOP!" the child cried as pained tears slid down her cheeks.

"Why?" the Shadow Guardian questioned casually as he watched the angry insect hurt his own sister.

"Because you're my brother!" she pleaded loudly, knowing that any real brother would never do this to their own siblings, even from her short life.

Mörker just ignored her and let the insect sting her for a full minute before he removed the jar and closed it before the wasp could escape. She shuddered as the cold air connected with the injury the insect left behind and she had tears streaming down her face now.

"You're… you're just like dad…" Dusk whimpered pathetically.

"Maybe, but at least I'm trying to keep you alive. Father would beat me half to death and wouldn't even care if I survived or not." the Shadow Guardian retorted as he put the jar with the wasp in it down and picked up the one with a leech in it.

The young dragoness just whimpered when she saw it and looked away. Her brother opened the container and carefully took out the leach with his free paw, being careful not to get bitten. He then rested the parasite next to the wasp sting. She cringed when she felt it dig its teeth inter her chest scales and started sucking her blood.

"Are you gonna be a good girl now?" Mörker asked casually as the leech mercilessly bit into her.

Dusk sobbed loudly and nodded as her vision blurred because of all her tears. Her brother chuckled and slowly peeled the leech away, making her shudder. He then placed it in the jar and set it down in the box.

"That's it for today's session." he informed her as he packed the rest of the jars in the black box.

"Why? Why, brother!?" the young shadow dragoness cried.

"You know exactly why." Mörker replied emotionlessly as he placed the box back in the drawer and closed it.

Once that was done, he walked back over to her with a rag and started cleaning her wounds that the insects left behind. She honestly didn't know why her brother was being so cruel to her. She just wished that someone would come one day and save her from her own family.

After a few moments, the wound were all cleaned and he began rubbing some disinfectant on them. Dusk winced because it stung. He finished after a few minutes and he set the rag and vial of medicine on the floor. After all of that was done, he sat down in front of her and revealed a can of beans.

"Feeding time!" Mörker said cheerfully as he opened the can with his hook shaped tailblade and took out a spoon and his sister nodded in response

The shadow dragoness nodded in response. She hated how he spoon fed her every time she ate. It made her feel like she was being punished for something she didn't do. She felt bad about herself whenever she was fed because she wasn't even allowed to eat by herself.

The Shadow Guardian just smiled as he scooped up some of the spoon. He then held the silverware close to her mouth. Dusk just sighed sadly and obediently opened her mouth for him.

"Good girl." her brother praised as he slid the spoon in and she ate the beans.

This went on for a few more minutes until the can was empty and he tossed it into the waste basket across the room, easily hitting his mark. She sniffed in the last of her tears as he stood up and she looked down, not wanting to look at him. She just turned around and curled into a ball on the cold floor.

"I hope you had fun, sister." Mörker cackled as he rubbed her lower back, making her curl into a tighter ball.

He bent over and kissed her on the head before he walked over to his desk and started grading the tests from his classes. He hummed a cheery tune while he worked as if nothing was wrong. This just made his sister feel worse and she started crying again.

"Please… someone save me…" Dusk prayed under her breath as she sobbed.

**Dusk is owned by both me and Admiralkirk. He also helped me with the scene involving said OC.**


	6. A Darker Place

**Kwai kwai everyone! I see that you're all wanting to hurt or kill the new Guardians and I don't blame any of you in the slightest. I also noticed that some of you have questions about the planned sequel to Dead Realm. I have put absolutely no thought into it and I probably won't have an answer to any of your questions until around the end of this story. I prefer to work on one story at a time. One last thing, a few of you have asked me if Tamhigan will get in a relationship or not. This chapter is kind of a response to that. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM once you finish reading the chapter!**

Chapter 6: A Darker Place

Tamhigan sat on the seating pillow in deep thought for awhile now. The sun had gone down awhile ago and it was now late at night. He was hungry, yes, but he really didn't feel like eating at the moment.

The black scaled dragon eventually got tired and stood up. He walked over to the sleeping pillow before he layed down like a resting dog. He pulled the blanket over his scarred body with his maw and rested his head on his paws. Once he was all comfortable and warm, he slowly closed his eyes to sleep.

The post-apocalyptic dragon flinched however when he heard someone knock at the door. He simply decided to ignore it and attempted to go back to sleep. The knock came again, but he still didn't budge. It was only until the third knock that he lost his patience and stood up again, He quickly put on his gas mask before he walked over to the door and unlocked it. With a deep breath, he opened the door.

On the other side of the door, was a wind dragoness with sky blue eyes. She was about his age, possibly a year or two younger. She had white scales with a gray underbelly and wing membranes. There were four gray colored horns on her head that curved back slightly and her gray tailblade was spiraled.

Tamhigan raised an eyebrow behind his mask as he looked at the shy looking dragoness, He recalled seeing her in the crowd earlier, but had no idea why she was there at that moment. All he wanted to do was get some sleep, but he allowed her to speak her peace.

"Um… hi. My name is Silver." the attractive dragoness greeted with a small smile.

The former human just raised an eyebrow behind his mask, wanting her to hurry up. She must've noticed this and cleared her throat to speak again.

"I know that you're probably sick of fan girls, but it's always been my dream to meet you. You've done so much for all of us and…" she trailed off, not sure if she should finish her sentence.

Tamhigan was starting to get annoyed by this girl, but he didn't notice his thoughts. He just silently stood at the doorway and watched her through the lens of his mask. The wind dragoness wasn't expecting him to be so silent, but that just made her like him more.

"Can… can I come in?" Silver requested with obvious nervousness.

"No." Tamhigan answered emotionlessly; he just wanted to be alone and rest.

"Oh…" she replied with disappointment in her voice and she looked down in sadness.

The black dragon was too upset over his current situation to care about some fan's feeling and started to close the door. She gasped however when he started doing this and placed one of her front feet in the door's way so it wouldn't close.

"Please wait!" the wind dragoness practically begged as she poked her face through the crevice of the door.

The scarred dragon sighed from this, but opened his door anyway. He had to give her credit for her persistence.

"I can't deny it… I have a crush on you." Silver revealed with a slight blush. "I know you probably don't' want to date ea fan girl like me… but can I at least… kiss your mask?" she asked with a more heavy blush.

Tamhigan was about to decline and shut try to shut the door again, but he stopped when he saw the desperation in her eyes. He really didn't want to let her do any advances because he hated the idea of getting in a relationship, but his gut was telling him to at least give her what she wanted so she would get off his back.

"Go ahead." he said finally with a quiet sigh.

The wind dragoness' eyes widened in amazement and she smiled happily. She was ecstatic about the wonderful news despite his original negativity directed towards her. It has always been her dream to be with the great Tamhigan himself. Sure those fantasies involved something more than a simple kiss, but she was willing to take what she could get,

Not wanting to wait for him to change his mind, Silver walked forward with a shy smile. She looked up at his masked face and took a deep breath before she leaned her head forward. She planted a small kiss on the center of the middle respirator. Not wanting to make him too uncomfortable, she pulled away after a few moments.

"Thank you." the wind dragoness thanked quietly with a blushed smile.

Tamhigan just nodded slightly. He felt a slight warmness from his chest that he made her smile. It wasn't of love however. He was just happy that he was the reason for someone's happiness.

The black dragon watched her step out of his apartment and skip down the hall, humming as she did so. Once she turned at the corner, he closed the door and walked back to his sleeping pillow to get some much needed rest.

* * *

Silver hummed happily as she skipped down the vacant hallway. She couldn't believe that she kissed Tamhigan. THE Tamhigan. She could've sworn she felt butterflies in her stomach as she kissed his mask earlier and she was rather proud of herself and what she just accomplished.

The wind reached the exit to the apartment building and opened the door. Her eyes were closed in happiness as she skipped out the door, but she bumped right into Orm, the Poison Guardian. She gasped as she fell to the ground and she looked up at the adult dragoness above her.

"What are you doing up after curfew?" Orm asked sternly with a disapproving frown.

"I'm sorry. I lost track of time." Silver apologized with a guilty expression as she sat on the ground with her head down.

"You do realize that there are consequences for staying up too late, correct?" the poison dragoness questioned with a sneer.

The younger dragoness just nodded and slowly stood up, expecting to get a detention or having to clean up the bathrooms for a week. She gasped in surprise however when Orm stuck her needle-like tailblade into the side of her neck. The poison dragoness grinned evilly as she pushed the flower venom she got earlier into the young girl's bloodstream.

Silver opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out as she felt her limbs go numb. She soon fell to the ground, completely unable to move. She was able to let out a pitiful whimper as the Poison Guardian pulled out her tailblade and leaned he head forward so their faces were almost touching.

"You should be thankful that I'm the one that caught you and not Rädsla or Mörker." she said casually as she gently rubbed t he student' cheek with a talon.

'Oh Ancestors, I hope she doesn't hurt me. I was going to my room…' Silver thought to herself as another small whimper escaped her numb lips.

Orm just chuckled and scooped the helpless dragoness onto her back. She then walked away from the apartment building and back to the Temple. She wandered down the hallway and they made their way to the hallway that contained the Guardians' offices. Silver got very confused however when they went right passed the Poison Guardian office.

'I don't get it. Where is she taking me?' the wind dragoness thought to herself as her nervous blue eyes darted around.

Orm finally stopped at the Earth Guardian's office and opened the door. Jord was sitting at his desk and correcting some tests. He stopped however and looked up at Orm and Silver with a raised eyebrow, silently asking why they were there.

"I caught Silver here snooping around after curfew." the Poison Guardian explained as she walked in and rested the paralyzed dragoness on the coffee table to the side.

"And you want me to be the one to give her, her punishment?" the overweight earth dragon asked and she nodded.

"I can't do it now. You know how I cranky I get when I don't' get enough sleep." Orm replied with a chuckle.

"Go ahead and get some rest. I'll handle things from here." Jord assured with a kind smile.

The Poison Guardian smiled back and walked back over to the door. She looked behind her and noticed that the venom was starting to where off and she made sure to close the door as she left.

Silver groaned as she was able to move her talons again and eventually lifted her head up. Jord stood up however and walked over to her so he was practically on top of her. Her nose crinkled when he got close. She never liked him because she didn't really like fat people too much and he smelled bad to her.

"I remember you… you called me a fat-ass behind my back when you first came to the Temple." the Earth Guardian recalled with an angry frown.

"Please don't hurt me… I'm sorry for what I did…" the wind dragoness begged with a horse voice and a whimper at the end.

"No. I'm gonna hurt you a lot. I know how your family practically forced you to come here just so they didn't have to deal with you. They won't mind a brat like you being gone." Jord replied darkly and he leaned his head forward so they were even closer. "You can scream all you want. This room is soundproof." he stated emotionlessly.

Silver whimpered again as she got very scared. She felt a cold chill race up her spine when she saw him look her body over, as if studying.

"Please… don't rape me…" she pleaded quietly as she started sobbing.

"Rape you? That would bring pleasure to you. No… I'm not horny… I'm hungry." the Earth Guardian explained before he licked his lips and started salivating.

This just made Silver more confused and looked at him with a frightened yet confused expression as he gently rolled her so she was resting on her back. Her eyes widened however when he opened his maw, showing off his drool covered teeth.

"Ah!" she managed to gasp as he sunk his teeth into her belly and pulled a large chuck off flesh and scales off.

The Earth Guardian chewed on the meat he painfully ripped off of her and swallowed it down. His bloody lips curved into a smile as the young wind dragoness panted with pained tears in her eyes.

"Delicious." he chuckled before he bit her stomach again and tore out another chuck of flesh.

Silver let out an agonizing scream as burning hot a pain erupted in her stomach and her inner organs were exposed. Jord calmly grabbed a part of her intestines with his paw and tore it out with a mighty tug, making her scream even louder. He just ate the organ with a wet sounding crunch and looked her over.

The wind dragoness had a large, bloody gap in her belly and she was shaking uncontrollably. He chuckled before he leaned forward and licked the tears away. This only covered her cheeks in her own blood and he pulled his head away.

"You'll make a lovely dinner." Jord commented before he bit into her stomach again, making her scream at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Tamhigan woke up the next morning with a groan. The sun was shining right in his eyes and he turned his face away from the window. Once he felt that he was ready, he slowly opened his dark brown eyes to see his gas mask on the table next to him. He was a little confused as to where he was at first, but he quickly remembered why he was there and what happened the other day.

He sighed heavily as he sat up and stretched, hearing his bones pop into place. After that was done, he stood up and walked over to the table. It was at that moment that he realized that he had no more things he needed to do or people to fight. He did what he came her for and he had nothing else to do. The only people he knew were the guardians and that fan from the night before.

The obsidian colored dragon groaned when he remembered the fans. He hated attention anyway and he knew that no matter where he went, people would treat him like a damned celebrity. The last thing he wanted was fame.

Tamhigan sighed again as he put on his sling and took out the bag Frost gave him. He took out a sandwich and quickly ate it to ease his hunger. Once that was done and he was full, he donned his gas mask. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and looked over his intimidating figure.

The post-apocalyptic dragon looked at the angry lenses of his gas mask and his heavily scarred scales/ His eyes then traveled to his biomechanical paw on his right front leg. The last thing he looked at was his tomahawk shaped tailblade. He smiled behind his mask as he looked at the Native American weapon that was now part of him forever.

After a few minutes of thinking about his tribal ancestors, the Native American dragon looked away from the mirror and walked towards the door. He wanted to go for a walk and at least try to enjoy the peacetime he was given. As soon as he opened the door however, he was practically attacked with crazed fan girls and even a few fan boys. The crowd of fans were each trying to gain his attention and were telling him how great he was.

Not wanting to deal with this nonsense, he covered his whole body in shadows to conceal himself. The crowd gasped as he "disappeared" and he proceeded to sneak away from the adoring fans. He was able to successfully sneak away from them and he the shadows seeped away once he was in the clear. He decided not to test his luck and quickly left the apartment building.

Tamhigan walked around the swampy boundaries for awhile as the students went to their classes. He was thankful that no one seemed to notice him and he was able to enjoy his walk in peace.

After a few minutes of walking around however, the black dragon came to a stop when a young child ran up to him. He noticed that the kid was an ice dragon.

"Mister! Mister! Can you help me!?" the child cried pleadingly as he came to a stop in front of the post-apocalyptic dragon.

Tamhigan had a raised eyebrow behind his mask and he tilted his head to the side a little, silently urging the kid to continue.

"Somebody stole a family heirloom from me, a gold locket. I think the thieves live somewhere close by. Can you please get it back for me? It's all I have left of my family." the little ice dragon practically pleaded.

Tamhigan thought about this for a moment and slowly nodded, choosing to help the child. The kid's eyes widened with newfound hope and he ran off into the swamp. The black dragon followed close behind and they traveled down a dirt path. They avoided the mud puddles to avoid getting wet and they eventually made their way to a log cabin in the middle of a small clearing. They both hid in the bushes to avoid being seen and watched an adult ice dragoness walk into the building.

"The two thieves are in there." the child whispered to the older dragon.

"Stay here." Tamhigan ordered sternly before he cloaked himself in shadows.

He quietly made his way towards the house and looked through the open window to see what was happening inside. There were two ice dragons sitting in the living room and having a conversation. One of them was a male and the other was a female.

'Tamhigan… Jack, please try to refrain yourself from using lethal force.' Voltage spoke in the concealed dragon's head.

His son didn't respond and he crawled through the window and into the house. He chose to stay inconspicuous and remained in his shadow form as he looked around. He made his way into the bedroom and saw the solid gold locket on the table.

The post-apocalyptic dragon materialized in front of the table so he could pick up the heirloom and he snatched it up. He stuffed it into the small bag that used to hold the sandwiches on his sling. He sighed quietly and was now about to leave.

"Not so fast, thief." a male voice ordered angrily from behind him.

Tamhigan quickly turned around to see the two adult ice dragons glaring at him. It was obvious that they didn't appreciate what he was doing and they were too angry to recognize just who he was.

"Give us back the locket!" the ice dragoness ordered loudly with a furious expression.

"No." the black dragon replied sternly and he adopted a combat stance.

The male ice dragon roared in anger and shot a few ice spikes at Tamhigan, but he just poofed away in a cloud of shadows. He reappeared behind the attacker and stabbed him through the head with his serrated claws form his metal paw.

"GAH!" the ice dragon gasped before he fell to the ground, dead.

The ice dragoness'' eyes widened in horror and she whipped around to look at his murderer, who was trying to flew. She inhaled deeply and exhaled a white mist that turned the ground below him into ice. Tamhigan fell to the ground and grunted when he connected with the ice.

"I'm gonna kill you!" the ice dragoness promised as she raised her tailblade to impale him.

The masked dragon gasped and quickly rolled out of the way. Her tailblade stuck into the ice where his head was a moment ago and she tried to pull it out. She growled however because it was stuck and she couldn't get it out.

Tamhigan took advantage of this moment and dark blue electricity formed over his front claws. He raised his metal paw over his head and grunted loudly as he swung his foreleg. The electrified metal cut into the dragoness' neck and she started choking on her own blood. She fell to the ground and started spasming from the large amounts of electricity. After a few moments that seemed like forever, the ice dragoness layed still on the ground with her eyes wide open.

The masked dragon gasped in relief when he realized that the danger was gone. He panted from the use of energy and the electricity crackled away. He walked back into the living room to see that the young child was waiting in there for him.

"Did… did you get it?" the child asked with slight nervousness.

The post-apocalyptic dragon nodded before he reached into his pouch with his metal paw and pulled out the gold locket. The young ice dragon smiled as he took the locket and ran out. The black dragon felt good about himself that he was able to help the kid and he had a small smile behind his mask.

Tamhigan took a deep breath before he walked out of the house. He stopped dead at the doorway however when he saw a sight that made his eyes widen behind his mask's angry lenses. The child was lying dead on the ground in a puddle of his own blood and Snö was standing over him. She was holding the golden locket and glaring at Tamhigan.

"We need to talk." the ice Guardian stated sternly.

**The OC, Silver, is owned by Zach the Fire Dragon. I'd also like to give credit to Admiralkirk, who gave me some plot ideas.**


	7. You're on my Blacklist

**Kwai kwai nidobak! I have to be honest; your reviews are starting to get very entertaining when it comes to the new Guardians. I'm actually rather impressed at how creative you guys are with how the Guardians die. I'm also amazed that this story already has about 50 reviews and this story isn't even close to the halfway point yet. I'm planning for this story to be longer than my past stories and your reviews and support give me a lot of encouragement. Thank you and remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 7: You're on my Blacklist

Tamhigan stared at Snö with wide eyes behind his mask. He was horrified to see that the child he just helped was lying dead on the ground and that she was holding the locket he retrieved for the kid. He growled furiously and got in a combat stance, making the Ice Guardian roll her eyes.

"This child wasn't the person you thought he was. Those 'thieves' you just killed were his parents. He ran away about a week ago because his parents wanted him to attend the Temple and he didn't want to. His mother just finished explaining the situation to me before you slaughtered them. I'm guessing the kid asked you to steal this locket so he could sell it for money." Snö explained calmly.

The post-apocalyptic dragon's mouth was wide open in shock behind his mask. He felt betrayed that the kid would use him like that. Throughout his entire life, he's never had to worry about a child stabbing him in the back until now.

"The kid was known for being anti-social and a spoiled brat in general. I bet he was about to go to Warfang and blame you for the crime." the Ice Guardian continued casually as she looked at the locket in her paw. "I wonder how much this thing is worth." she mumbled under her breath.

Tamhigan couldn't even find the words to speak after she said that. He wanted to stab the Guardian in the jugular for killing the child, but he also felt anger towards the kid for tricking him into killing two innocent people for no reason. Yes, he's killed people in the past, but he always had a good reason for it; whether the victims were guilty of murder themselves or if they raped someone. And killing a child was WAY too far in his opinion. The ice Guardian seemed to sense his conflicting thoughts by his body movements and cleared her throat.

"Tell you what. You keep quiet about all of this and I'll make sure you won't get prosecuted for two counts of murder. I'll have Jord handle the bodies and you'll be in the clear." Snö explained to him as she spun the gold locket around on her talon.

"Damn you." the masked dragon growled angrily before he ran off to his apartment.

The traumatized dragon ignored her calls to come back and ran down the dirt road as fast as he could. He kept on running until he made it to apartment three and he burst through the door. He slammed the door shut behind him and locked it before he sat down on the seating pillow.

"What the fuck is wrong with this place?" Tamhigan thought aloud as he shakily rested his front paws on his masked face.

Many thoughts ran through the Native American's head at that point. Were the other Guardians as fucked up as Snö? How long has this madness been going on? Did that kid run away because he knew how bad it was here? So many questions and yet no answers. He then realized something important. He wasn't a man to believe in fate, but he somehow knew that there was a reason why he was brought back from his eternal sleep.

Tamhigan calmly lowered his paws with a heavy frown behind his mask. He needed to do something to at least make it tolerable to live here. But first, he had to learn more about his new enemies. The last thing he needed was to run into a possible warzone without any knowledge on his targets.

Tamhigan stood up and walked over to his apartment's desk that was most likely meant for schoolwork. He sat down again and took out a blank sheet of paper. Using the metal paw of his, he grabbed a quill. It took a moment for him to recall their names, but one by one, he wrote down the names of the Guardians as well as a rough sketch of their faces above each name.

"Mörker, Snö, Jord, Vind, Stöt, Brand, Orm, and Rädsla." he read his sloppy writing aloud and he looked over their drawn faces.

He decided to start his investigation with Mörker because he remembered the Guardian of Shadow lived in a nearby cave. It would arouse less suspicion and it would be safer on his part. He also decided to start his personal mission at nights so he could sneak around more easily.

Now that Tamhigan had a plan, he just needed to wait for night to arrive so he could enact his plans. He wasn't sure what he should do until then exactly, but he didn't want to simply sit on his ass all day.

His head snapped to attention when he heard a knock at the door and he quickly stood up. He slowly walked over to the door and looked through the door's peephole to see that Stöt was patiently waiting on the other end.

The post-apocalyptic dragon was now at full alert and he flexed his metal claws. With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he unlocked the door and slowly opened it.

"Greetings, Tamhigan. Snö told me that there was a little incident earlier." the Electric Guardian started calmly and without emotion.

"Nothing happened." the black dragon denied with just as much enthusiasm.

"You don't have to lie to me; I'm a very understanding dragon. I know how accidents happen and how we sometimes let people die." Stöt assured with a straight face. "Have you decided whether you'll stay here as a student yet?" he asked casually, changing the subject.

"Yeah I have. I'm getting the fuck out of this place as soon as I can." Tamhigan replied bitterly, just barely stopping himself from growling.

"Shame." the older electric dragon stated as his frown deepened a little. "Just know this. I'm in charge of the Temple. It doesn't matter how famous you are. You tell me everything you're doing or planning as long as you stay here. Do we understand one another?" he informed deathly serious.

"Yes." the heavily scarred dragon answered with a glare behind his mask.

The Electric Guardian nodded and he visibly calmed down. He stood up straight and walked off without even saying farewell or anything like that. Tamhigan just shook his head before he closed the door and locked it.

"Hündin." Tamhigan growled in German as he walked over to the desk again and sat down on the seating pillow in front of it.

The masked dragon looked over at the window and growled when he saw that it was only midday. He really wanted to get to work immediately, but starting in broad daylight would be unwise. He also realized that he was hungry and he was all out of sandwiches that Frost made for him. That meant that he could either hunt in the swamps, or go to the Temple cafeteria. He didn't like either because he was a scavenger and wasn't good at hunting, and he didn't want to be surrounded by fans again.

Without many options, he chose the cafeteria. The black scaled electric dragon sighed heavily as he stood up and walked over to the door again. He unlocked the door and walked out of the apartment. He kept his head down as he exited the building and made his way into the Temple. While he wandering down the halls, he noticed that the classrooms were completely empty and no one was in the halls. He didn't think too much of this and continued on his way.

Tamhigan made his way to the cafeteria and noticed that all the students were eating lunch, explaining why the rest of the Temple was empty. All the students immediately looked up at him when he entered and he groaned. As if planned, the room erupted in cheers, whistles and shouting. Many of the students wanted him to sit at their table, but he just ignored them. He made his way to the counter that was serving the food and the lunch lady, a mole, looked at him with an excited smile.

"What can I get for you today, hero?" the elderly mole asked politely with a slight bow of respect.

"Anything, I really don't give a fuck." the black dragon replied with obvious annoyance.

The lunch lady was a little taken aback by his wording and bitter attitude. She nodded regardless and gave him a tray with some chicken on it. Tamhigan nodded in thanks as he took the tray on his back, keeping it steady with his wings, and walked away. He noticed that everyone was trying to clear a space for him, but he didn't want to sit with any of them. He noticed an empty table in the corner and walked over to it, wanting to be alone. Almost immediately after he sat down though, a bunch of girls sprinted over to his table and sat down around him, filling all of the empty spaces.

"So, you're the great Tamhigan eh? You're a lot cuter than the history books depicted you." an attractive fire dragoness started as all the females leaned closer to him, making him very uncomfortable.

The post-apocalyptic dragon just sighed and raised his mask over his mouth so he could eat. The girls were a little disappointed that they couldn't see his full face, but they were just happy to be in his presence. Some students at the other tables scoffed though. They were either jealous, skeptical that he was the real Tamhigan, or annoyed that he was famous.

Tamhigan ignored all of them and silently started to eat his chicken. The girls kept saying how great it was to meet them and some even went into detail about their fantasies about him, but he just blocked it all out. He just wanted to finish eating quickly so he could go back to his apartment.

This went on for a few minutes until he finished eating and he lowered his gas mask again. He stood up to put his tray away, but a small earth dragon with glasses snatched the tray up.

"Let me take care of that for you." the child said cheerfully before he ran off to place the tray on the pile of used trays.

Tamhigan was thankful for the assistance even though he wanted to do it himself. He didn't voice his opinion though and started walking towards the exit. He stopped however when a wall of students blacked him and a bunch of dragonesses rubbed their sides against him.

"Don't go yet. We like having you around." an ice dragoness said cheerfully with a soft purr.

"I want to be alone." the masked dragon stated emotionlessly and he tried to move, but the girls held him in place.

"But we want you heeere." a poison dragoness whined as the girls got even closer.

Just when Tamhigan was about to force his way away from everyone the school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Everyone groaned in annoyance from this and hesitantly walked out, leaving the post-apocalyptic dragon be. Not wanting to push his luck, he shrouded himself in shadows and made his way back to the apartment building.

It wasn't until he reached his apartment that he materialized again and he walked into his living space. He made sure to lock the door after he closed it behind him and he sighed heavily. He didn't know why, but he felt himself get very tired all of a sudden and he even felt a little woozy.

Figuring that sleep was the best option would be to get some sleep, the black dragon steadily walked into the bedroom. He didn't even bother to remove his sling or gas mask and he layed down on the sleeping pillow. He pulled the blanket over his body and closed his eyes to take a nap.

* * *

Tamhigan groaned quietly as his eyes fluttered open to see a cloudy sky through the lens of his gas mask. He quickly realized that he was having a vision again and that he was in his human form. He was a little afraid to, but he lifted his right up and was a little surprised to see that his hand was mechanical just like his new paw.

Jack lowered his biomechanical hand and sat up to see that he was on a sandy beach. He turned his head to look at the water and saw that there were various World War II battleships floating in the water. There were also fighter planes performing their practice flights in the sky. The masked human watched them fly through the cloudy skies with much interest and he didn't even notice a man standing directly behind him.

"Quite the sight; isn't it?" a familiar voice commented.

Jack immediately bolted up and whirled around to see his great-grandfather standing before him with a smirk.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Dylan apologized with a chuckle. "I like the robot hand you got there." he commented when he noticed his great-grandson's biomechanical appendage.

"Thanks… why did you bring me here?" the masked human asked quietly, wanting to get some answers.

"I wanted to talk you about those sorry excuses for Guardians." the soldier replied much more seriously than before. "I don't know too much about them, but I think I can learn why they do the things they do if you give me time. If it gets to the point where you are forced to kill any of them, I will tell you why they did the things they did." he explained.

Jack nodded in understanding and thankfulness. He preferred to know why people do the things they do because he couldn't understand why the Ku Klux Klan hated non-whites so much. He couldn't fathom why anyone would resort to killing others for no reason. He was brought out of his thoughts when his great-grandfather cleared his throat.

"That's all that I wanted to tell you, but I believe the Chronicler wants to speak with you as well." the Code Talker spoke much more relaxed than the last time he talked.

The masked human recalled hearing about the Chronicler when his family was still alive. He never met the dragon before and he never thought he would until now. He couldn't understand why someone like the Chronicler would want to talk to a man like him or why he had to do all this shit in the first place.

"I'll make it easier for you and help you transition to the White Isle." Dylan offered and the world began to glow brightly just after he said that.

Before Jack could do anything or say a word, the brightness just became brighter and brighter, making him use his right arm to shield his eyes. The light got so bright that he even had to close his eyes and he started to feel like he was standing on something else…

* * *

Jack had his eyes closed for awhile, but he was still awake. He felt like he was in a different environment. Taking a chance, he slowly opened his eyes and lowered his arm so he could look around.

The masked native looked around to see that he was in some kind of old looking library with a large hourglass in the center of the room. The floor looked like it was made of marble and the bookshelves were full of what looked like thousands of books.

The room was quite the sight in Jack's opinion and he was purely amazed by the amount of books. He just wished he could read better so he could understand what the books had within. He was brought out of his thoughts however when he heard footsteps behind him. Acting on instinct, he unsheathed his cold steel tomahawk with his metal appendage while he unholstered his Ruger SR9 pistol with his left hand. He then whirled around with his weapons at the ready.

"Relax, young one. I am a friend." a large blue dragon soothed that was standing a few feet away from the human dressed in black.

The Native American man quickly remembered what his great-grandfather told him earlier and visibly relaxed. He holstered his pistol, but he kept his tomahawk out as a precaution, although it was mostly just to make him feel safer.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ignitus, but most dragons refer to me as the Chronicler." the ex-Fire Guardian greeted with a bow of respect.

Jack didn't reply and simply nodded in greeting. The dragon respected his silence and cleared his throat to speak again.

"I am aware that you wish to fight against the current Guardians and I don't blame you in the slightest. They've done disgusting acts that make me sick to my stomach. However, I must warn you, the Guardians are powerful dragons and are masters of their respected element. They also have certain connections that would make life very difficult for you if you choose this path. Are you sure you wish to carry these burdens?" Ignitus explained and asked the last sentence.

He wasn't trying to deter Jack, he just wanted to make sure that he was responsible and determined enough to perform what seemed like the impossible. Jack was in deep thought however. His survival instincts were screaming for him to just ignore the Guardians and move on, but this conscience was telling him to stop those monsters who call themselves Guardians.

"The only thing that can kill a monster… is another monster." Jack spoke finally and he had a look of determination behind his gas mask.

The Chronicler didn't' like his wording, but he understood the meaning. He nodded in understanding and sat down on his hunches.

"Very well. The path ahead of you will be a difficult, but if anyone can handle these pressures, it's you. Just remember, you're not alone anymore. There are people who share your opinions and will help you." he told the human with a warm smile.

The world began to glow brightly after Ignitus said that and Jack began to feel woozy again. He wobbled in place a little as he got more and more tired until he finally fell over. He didn't even feel a ground and his world faded to black as he woke up.

**This is a thank you to Admiralkirk for giving me a few small plot ideas for this chapter. Read his stories n' shit because they're good.**


	8. Extermination and Termination

**Kwai kwai everybody! I think it's safe to assume that you all at least dislike the corrupt Guardians. I don't think I'll ever get tired of reading the reviews for these stories I write. You readers can be pretty entertaining at times and I always consider your suggestions. There's also something I'd like to say before this chapter starts. I know you all want me to write Dead Realm 2 after this, but I kinda what to have a break from Spyro stuff after this story. I have a story in mind that I've actually been wanting to write for years now, but never got around to it. I'm planning on writing this non-Spyro story after Abenaki Legacy and then I'll write Dead Realm once that's finished. And one of the reviewers pointed this out. Yes, the Guardians' names are Swedish words. That's all I'll say for now, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 8: Extermination and Termination

Tamhigan woke up with a quiet groan and he slowly opened his dark brown eyes. He immediately noticed that he was still wearing his gas mask because his vision was darkened a little due to the mask's tinted lenses.

The obsidian colored dragon slowly raised his head and looked around his room to see that nothing had changed since he fell asleep. He then looked towards the window to see that night had fallen and the moon was shining brightly in the sky. Realizing that now was the best time to act; he stood up and walked towards his door.

Quickly, the black dragon opened his door and submerged himself in shadows. He didn't want to waste too much energy and walked out of the apartment building at a fast pace. He made his way down the dirt path were he last saw Mörker and poofed out of the shadows, feeling confident that no one would see him.

The Native American eventually found a cave at the end of the dirt path and cautiously approached it. It was very dark within the cave and he had to squint his eyes just to see five feet inside the opening. Since he was only part shadow dragon, he couldn't see in the dark like most shadow dragons. He didn't like it, but he knew he had to go forth into the darkness because he would most likely be seen if he used his electricity as a light source. It was risky enough having his metal claws click against the ground and his masks amplify his breathing.

Tamhigan sighed quietly before he carefully walked into the cave, trying to make as little noise as possible. Luckily, the tunnel was mostly a straight path and there weren't many obstacles on the ground besides small rocks. The absolute darkness made him very on edge and alert. He always hated traveling in the dark without a source of light.

As he walked, he eventually started hearing noises in the distance, making him very nervous and alert. He couldn't tell what it was at first, but as he got closer and closer, he could determine that a little girl was crying. He would also hear the sounds of something meaty being hit and the little girl grunt or cry in pain.

The post-apocalyptic dragon quickened in pace as he walked, but still slow enough so he wouldn't trip on anything or bump into the wall. He eventually made it door a large door and he gently rested his organic front paw on it. He slid his paw around until he found the door handle and he opened the door a crack.

Slowly, Tamhigan peaked through the crack and squinted his eye so he could get a better look. The room he was looking into was much brighter than the hallway and Mörker could be seen inside. The Shadow Guardian could be seen beating on a young shadow dragoness who couldn't be older than ten.

This made the lightning dragon's blood boil in anger and hate. He couldn't fathom why anyone would be sick enough to hurt a young child for any reason. He was still on edge after what happened with the last child he tried to help, but he refused to stand by while a chained up child was being tortured by one of his targets.

With a deep breath, the masked dragon burst through the door and dark blue electricity crackled between his two serrated horns, lighting the area around him. The Shadow dragon immediately stopped mid-punch and he looked over at him with a dark frown.

"What are you doing in my home, Tamhigan?" he asked as if nothing was wrong and the little dragoness sobbed loudly in pain and fear.

The furious dragon didn't answer however and charged straight at Mörker. He was too surprised by the sudden charge to react however and he grunted loudly as they both fell to the ground. He gasped and hissed in pain when he felt metallic claws scratch against his face and he quickly poofed away into shadows. The masked dragon quickly stood up however and carefully scanned the area around him with his keen eyesight.

"If you want a fight, then I'll be happy to oblige…" Mörker's voice was heard somewhere in the darkness.

Tamhigan figured that this fight would most likely be a battle of wits instead of combat. Mörker was safe as long as he was in the darkness, but he couldn't get close to him because of his electricity's light that lit up everywhere within about two yards.

The post-apocalyptic dragon waited there in silence and the only sound that could be heard was the child's soft whimpers. After awhile though, Tamhigan saw some movement in the darkness and rushed towards it, only for the movement to fade into the shadows before he could reach it. He growled quietly in frustration and whipped around to see that Mörker was right behind him.

"Boo!" the Shadow Guardian laughed before he backhanded the scarred dragon to the ground with a thud.

He was about to strike again, but Tamhigan used his tomahawk tailblade to slice into his thigh. The older shadow dragon roared in pain and once again, poofed away in a cloud of shadows.

The scarred dragon bolted up once more and thoroughly looked around the immediate area, searching for any signs of life besides the crying child. He became frustrated because he couldn't see further than a few yards ahead of him and he couldn't depend on his shadow powers. He then realized something that someone told him when he was a child.

The heart required a small amount of energy in order to pump blood throughout the rest of the organism's system. In order to get the energy, the muscle tissue within the heart has to conduct electricity in order to continue beating. That meant that there was a small spark of electricity every time the heart beated.

Tamhigan took a deep breath before he closed his eyes and concentrated his electricity element. He didn't feel anything at first, but after a few tense moments, he felt three different surges of energy. The first was obviously his own, the second was the crying child behind him, and the last was none other than Mörker. His heart beats were coming from somewhere to the left of the masked dragon.

All of a sudden, he whipped to the direction of the energy and sprinted towards it. Sure enough, Mörker was there and he firmly grabbed his wing with both of his front paws.

"How did you-!?" the Shadow Guardian started in shock.

He couldn't finish however because Tamhigan roughly tugged on the wing with all of his might, snapping the bones. The adult dragon screamed loudly in pain as the black scaled electric dragon dug his claws into his wing and continued tugging. There was a wet sounding snap and the wing broke away from the rest of Mörker's body with a splatter of blood.

Tamhigan threw the now worthless limb to the ground and tackled the weakened shadow dragon to the ground. He growled as he raised his tomahawk tailblade to strike.

"You'll… you'll regret this…" the Shadow Guardian promised weakly as he wheezed his breaths.

The post-apocalyptic dragon didn't reply and brought his tail down with a loud grunt. His tomahawk tailblade pierced through Mörker's skull with a loud crunch and some blood splashed out of the open wound, killing the shadow dragon instantly. Tamhigan breathed heavily as he looked down at the corpse and he pulled his tailblade away before he stood up.

"That's one Guardian down; good riddance. Ready for the first story?" Dylan's voice spoke in Tamhigan's head. "Back when Mörker was just a kid, his mother was killed by a bunch of ape bandits. His father blamed him for her death and would often beat him in anger. That little girl chained to wall is his sister and she always sided with their father because she was too young to understand what was going on and she was scared. Mörker just snapped one day and managed to safely get his hands on a wasp nest. He hid the nest in his father's pillow as he slept and he died from their stings because he was allergic to wasp stings. Once the deed was done, Mörker kidnapped his little sister and started 'punishing her' for all the times she fearfully sided with their father." the World War II spirit explained.

Tamhigan's frown deepened as the story went on. He couldn't understand why people would hurt children in general, but their own little siblings? He was glad that the Shadow Guardian was dead… he just wish he made it more painful. Death was too good for him.

The post-apocalyptic dragon was brought out of his dark thoughts when he heard quiet sobbing behind him. He turned around and his electrical light shined on the little dragoness chained to the wall. His expression became softer behind his mask and he started walking towards her. HE stopped right in front of her and looked down at her form to see that she was shaking in fear while she looked fearfully up at him.

"P-p-please… d-don't hurt me…" the little fire dragoness begged quietly as she backed up against the wall, making the chains rattle.

"I won't." Tamhigan promised as he bent down so they were face to mask. "Who are you?" he questioned with the softest tone of voice he could do with is deep voice.

"D-Dusk… my name is Dusk." the young child responded with a slight whimper.

"Tamhigan." the masked dragon introduced as he used the serrated edge of his metal claws to saw into her restraints.

Dusk watched in nervous curiosity as he cut away the shackles one by one until she was fully free. She didn't dare move however because she didn't' want to anger the intimidating dragon. He wanted to at least tell her that she'd be okay, but he also didn't want to be in the same room as a recently killed Guardian.

The post-apocalyptic dragon quickly yet gently scoped the young shadow dragoness onto his back and walked out of the room at a fast pace. He felt her latch onto the back of his neck as he ran down the dark hall, which was now lit because of the electricity crackling between his horns.

They soon made it to the entrance to the cave and Tamhigan stopped the flow of energy at his horns. He quickly looked around to see that no one, but them was nearby and he sighed quietly in relief. Once he determined that it was safe, he sprinted down the dirt path with the child on his back.

The duo made it to the apartment building without being seen, much to the masked dragon's satisfaction. He shrouded themselves in shadows just in case, making the little girl yelp in surprise and fear. He just ignored her for now and quickly walked up to his particular apartment.

Wanting to get somewhere at least safer than out in the open, Tamhigan opened the door, stepped inside, and then shut the door behind him. They both poofed out of the shadows once the door was shut and he locked it so no one would barge in on them.

The scarred dragon craned his neck so he could look at Dusk on his back and he could tell she was frightened beyond belief. He figured that she hadn't been out of that room, let alone the cave, in a very long time. He also thought that she had been chained up against that wall for a long time as well and mostly likely hadn't slept in a bed for years. All of his hypothesizes were pretty accurate.

The post-apocalyptic dragon walked over to his sleeping pillow and carefully slid the young shadow dragoness off his back and onto the pillow. She almost immediately hid under the blankets and shook with fear. He didn't say anything however and he simply sat down next to the sleeping pillow, watching her attempt to hide from him. A full minute went by before she finally poked her head out of the sheets and looked up to see him simply staring at her through his gas mask's lenses.

"You're… you're not gonna hurt me?" Dusk asked quietly, not understanding why he wasn't doing anything.

Tamhigan slowly shook his head as a no and remained silent. The little dragoness stopped shaking in fear at this moment and stared back at him. It was at that point that she remembered what her brother told her the other day, that the great Tamhigan had returned.

"T-Tamhigan… you saved me…" the small shadow dragoness realized with wide eyes.

It all made sense now. Why he was wearing that creepy mask; why he was covered in scars; why his electricity was dark blue in color; why he was able to use the shadow element; and why he bothered to help her at all. She was saved by one of history's greatest heroes, right next to Spyro the Dragon.

"I'm going to protect you." the masked dragon promised quietly with a small nod.

Dusk's heart was filled with happiness from those simple words. Throughout her whole life, no one's ever said that to her before. Not even her father said such words and it was quite clear that her brother didn't.

The little dragoness smiled in pure joy and hugged his left foreleg, feeling truly safe in his presence. Tamhigan was a little taken aback from her quick actions, but he accepted it nonetheless. He looked down at her with a small smile behind his gas mask and he gently rested his biomechanical paw on the back of her head, making her purr in comfort.

A few minutes went by and Dusk yawned quietly. The scarred dragon looked out the window and could tell that it was midnight because of the way the two moons were positioned in the sky.

"Rest." Tamhigan instructed her and he gently layed her down on the sleeping pillow.

"But... where are you gonna sleep?" the little shadow dragoness asked curiously as the larger dragon draped the blankets over her small form.

The masked dragon didn't answer vocally and pointed at the nearby sitting pillow with his organic front paw. She nodded slowly before she cuddled up to the warm blankets and closed her eyes to sleep.

Wanting to get some sleep himself, the black scaled electric dragon walked over to the resting pillow and sat down. He layed down like a cat wood and closed his eyes, not even bothering to remove his gas mask.

"Goodnight, Tamy." Dusk said quietly before quiet snores escaped her nostrils.

The post-apocalyptic dragon smiled at the new nickname and a small wave of warms washed over his inner being.

"Goodnight… Dusk…" Tamhigan replied softly before he too fell asleep.

* * *

Outside the Temple, Vind was walking down the dirt path towards Mörker's cave. She was humming a happy tune to herself as she approached the cave and walked inside. She was using her tail to hold a lantern so she could see and she easily made it to the door at the end of the tunnel. Once there, she opened the door and walked into the large room.

"Are you ready for another session, Mörker?" the Wind Guardian asked with a lustful grin as she walked in and raised her lantern to light the area.

The attractive dragoness gasped in shock however and her eyes widened when she saw the Shadow Guardian lying dead on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. One of his wings was missing, he had a bunch of lashes on his side, and there was a large wound on his forehead. His golden colored eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling as she slowly walked up to his corpse.

"Who did this to you…?" Vind thought aloud as she stared at his dead body.

She then recalled his sister that he kept chained to the wall and she looked over to see the cut shackles and the little dragoness was gone. The Wind Guardian became enraged from this and her sharp teeth grinded together in frustration.

'Who would dare try to fuck with the Guardians?' she thought to herself as she turned on her heels and walked out of the room.

Wanting to bring the culprit to "justice," she walked at a fast pace down the cave and eventually out in the open. She made her way down the path and entered the Temple once she reached it. She didn't stop for anything as she made her way to the Pool of Visions room and she burst inside, startling the six other Guardians.

"Vind? What is with you and why are you in such haste?" Stöt questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Someone murdered Mörker. I found his dead body in his cave a few minutes ago." the Wind Guardian answered deathly serious.

"Murdered!? Who the hell did that!?" Jord demanded to know as he stepped forward.

"I don't know, but someone killed him in cold blood and kidnapped his sister." she replied with a frustrated sigh.

"The murderer took that brat too!? We'll be ruined if the kidnapper gets her to tell the world what Mörker did to her every day!" the Electric Guardian yelled in anger.

"Stupid kid. I knew his obsession with that child would come back to bite us in the eases." Rädsla mumbled quietly, but no one heard him.

"I have a suggestion." Orm spoke up, gaining everyone's attention."I believe that Tamhigan may have had something to do with this. He expressed anger towards us after what happened with the nearby ice dragon family. I'm gonna see if I can lure him to a place away from people question him." She explained as if it was obvious.

"When can you get this done?" Stöt asked curiously.

"As early as tomorrow morning." the Poison Guardian answered with a toothy grin, making everyone else smile evilly.


	9. Don't go into the Swamps

**Kwai kwai all of you readers out there! I'm sure that most of you are happy that Mörker is dead and that Dusk was rescued. There are a few things I wanna say before this chapter starts. First of all, the non-Spyro story I have planned is gonna be a Turok fic. It does not gonna be based off of the 2008 reboot though, it's gonna be loosely based on the PS2 game Turok: Evolution. I'm sure that most of you haven't heard of it, but it was one of my favorite games during my childhood. Also, I'm glad that some of you know what the foreign words I use mean. I think it makes certain things special when their named with a real language instead of just thinking up a name at the top of my head. Well, that's all I wanted to address; remember to leave a review or PM me!**

Chapter 9: Don't go into the Swamps

It was a warm morning the next day. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the swamp animals were performing their usual morning routines. Inside the apartment, Tamhigan slowly opened his eyes and sat up on the seating pillow. He looked around the room through the lens of his gas mask and saw Dusk resting on his sleeping pillow.

The masked dragon then recalled what happened yesterday and how that ice dragon kid lied to him. He looked over at the sleeping dragoness and wondered if she would betray him like the other child. Those dark thoughts were brushed away immediately however as his conscience took over. Even if she was lying to him, there was no way in hell that he'd force a defenseless child fend for themselves, especially in a hellhole like the Temple.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the little dragoness groan. He looked over at her to see her wake up and she raised her head to see him. She yawned quietly as she stretched, showing off her white teeth in the process, and she stood up.

"Good morning, Tamy." Dusk greeted with a smile as she walked up to him.

Tamhigan simply nodded to her as he stood up as well. They both heard her little belly growl hungrily and she blushed lightly in embarrassment.

"Do you have anything to eat?" the young shadow dragoness asked quietly after a short moment of silence.

"Not here." the post-apocalyptic dragon replied as he shook his head.

He figured that he could just go to the cafeteria and get her something, but he didn't want anyone to see her. She must have thought of this too and she spoke up.

"I can stay here and hide while you get food." Dusk offered and her current guardian nodded to her.

The Native American dragon watched her lay back down on his sleeping pillow and she hid under the blankets. Once he was certain that no one would see her through the window or something, he walked to the door and left the apartment.

Not wanting to leave Dusk alone for too long, he rushed out of the building and made his way down the dirt path towards the Temple. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a feminine scream coming from the swamps. He wanted to get food for himself and Dusk, but he also wanted to at least investigate the mysterious scream.

Tamhigan gave in to his curiosity and he wandered off the dirt road. He cautiously walked through the muddy swamps and he passed many giant mushrooms. He kept on walking until he made it to a small clearing that actually had solid, grass land on it.

The masked dragon hopped onto the dry area and looked around, trying to find the source of the scream. He heard wet sounding footsteps approaching him and he looked at the source of the noise to see Orm walking up to him with a questionable smile. The look on her face said it all, "you fell for it."

"Hello, Tamhigan. I see that you heard my 'damsel in distress' scream." the Poison Guardian greeted with a cheerful chuckle.

The black dragon glared at her behind his gas mask and he took a step back. He let out a growl when she just took a step forward. She did something he didn't expect however, she dashed towards him and stabbed him in the neck with her needle-like tailblade. He felt something being pumped into him and his eyes widened.

"That should be enough." the Poison Guardian said with a smile before she pulled her tailblade and took a step back. "I've been meaning to test this venom anyway." she added casually.

"What… what did you…?" Tamhigan started shakily as he wobbled in place and he held his slightly bleeding neck with his left paw.

"I injected you with a venom I collected from the skräck flower. I highly doubt it's poisonous, but I'm not sure what it does." Orm explained as his vision blurred and her voice began to sound distorted.

The now drugged dragon breathed heavily as his vision got more and more hazy and shaky while it grew more difficult to stand straight. He heard her distorted voice chuckle and she walked right up to him.

"I can make the affects go away if you tell me who killed Mörker and where Dusk is." Orm told him with her wicked smile.

Tamhigan just shook his head and ended up falling to his hunches, then to his side. He heard her sigh and felt her larger paw gently rub his shoulder.

"You really should cooperate. I know you had something to do with his death. Just tell me what happened and I'll let you go." she said with fake sympathy.

The post-apocalyptic dragon didn't reply and looked at her hazy form. He was able to see that she had a flintlock pistol that was made for dragons strapped to her side and a plan just barely formed in his head. He purposely breathed more heavily so she was focused on his masked face while his tail shakily, yet slowly, reached for the pistol.

Luckily, she didn't seem to notice and she watched him carefully, just waiting for him to crack. His tail just barely managed to reach the pistol and he slowly slid it out of the holster using his tomahawk shaped tailblade.

"Are you going to cooperate now?" the Poison Guardian asked again with her distorted sounding voice as the pistol fell out of the holster and luckily right into hi waiting organic paw.

Tamhigan slowly turned his head to look at her hazy face and he very slowly aimed the flintlock pistol at her. He shakily shook his head before he squeezed the iron trigger.

There was a loud "boom" as the flintlock fired with a cloud of white smoke and she cried in pain as the musket ball entered her chest. She stumbled away from him and fell to her side a few feet away, breathing heavily. Tamhigan dropped the empty weapon before he very shakily stood up and slowly walked over to her, wobbling as he did so. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stand for much longer, so he wanted to make it count.

The masked dragon fell to his side once more, but his tail was stretched out this time. He heard a thud from the fall and a wet sounding crack. He shakily looked over at Orm to see that his tailblade chopped into her neck and her head was only hanging on from a few strands of flesh and muscle. The last thing he thought about before he passed out was Dusk and that he never got her some breakfast.

* * *

Jack woke up with a grown and opened his eyes to see a side view of the beaches of Normandy. He groaned as he sat up and looked at the sandy beaches with the battleships out at sea.

"Rough morning?" the masked human heard a familiar voice behind him.

He nodded in confirmation and saw Dylan walk into his line of sight. The soldier sat down Indian style in front of his great-grandson and took off his helmet, exposing his very short, dark brown hair.

"Wanna hear the next story before you wake up?" the Code-Talker asked curiously as he took out a cigarette and lit it with his Zippo lighter.

Jack nodded and sat Indian style as well to get in a more comfortable position.

"Orm spent most of her life in the swamps near the Temple." Dylan began before he took a quick drag from his cigarette. "She was orphaned at a very young age and she had to fend for herself in the swamps. While she lived out in those swamps, she became fascinated with plants… poisonous plants to be specific. When she was about your age, she started kidnapping anyone who ventured into the swamps and tested various poisons and venoms on her captives. Orm did it simply out of curiosity and because she enjoyed seeing what those chemicals did to people. Pretty fucked up if you ask me." he explained.

His great-grandson frowned heavily from this. He was sickened that someone would do this to random people simply out of enjoyment. He felt nothing, but distain for the dragoness and he was glad that he was the one to kill her.

"Well, that's the story. We still have a bunch of time before you wake up, so I think it's time to give you a little history lesson on World War II." the soldier said with a small smile as tossed the spent cigarette into the nearby water. "And maybe tell you about the time I was abducted by aliens." he mumbled very quietly with a slight chuckle.

Jack nodded in response, wanting to get his mind off the insane Poison Guardian, and his great-grandfather started the lesson.

* * *

Back in the swamps, a bunch of students were running together into the swamps and away from the Temple. They all donned worried expressions as they rushed through the wet marshes and mud covered ground.

"I think the gunshot came from this direction!" a young fear dragoness yelled to the others as they ran.

"Who do you think fired a gun in the first place?" an older poison dragon asked his friends. 'And why are we going to where a gun was fired in the first place?' he asked in his head.

"I don't know, but we need to get there and see what happened!" a wind dragon replied.

Everyone nodded in agreement and they continued running. They eventually made it to the non-wet clearing and were shocked by what they saw. Orm was lying dead on the ground with her neck practically cut off and Tamhigan himself was lying on the ground not too far from her. The students slowly walked over to him and a fire dragoness bent down to check his pulse.

"Is… is he alive?" the wind dragon from earlier asked worriedly.

"Relax… he's alive, but his pulse is going pretty fast right now." the fire dragoness replied, making them all sigh in relief.

"Did Orm do this to him? What happened here?" a water dragoness asked as she stared at the Guardian's wide open eyes that had no signs of life in them.

"I'm not sure, but I think I can reverse whatever it is she did to him." the poison dragon from earlier offered as he walked up to the masked dragon's unconscious body.

He bent down and gently held Tamhigan to keep him steady. The poison dragon took a deep breath before he bit into the hero's neck. He pulled away soon after and spat a glob of green liquid to the side. Tamhigan immediately started to slow his breathing and he appeared to be okay now.

"What should we do now? We can't just leave him out here for the Guardians to find." a young ice dragoness spoke up.

"We should bring him back to his apartment. You know how the Guardians jump to conclusions. The last thing that should happen is for Tamhigan to get arrested when he was just defending himself." the fire dragoness replied and the others nodded.

Two muscular earth dragons stepped forward and huffed the heavily scarred dragon over their shoulders. The large group of students carried the masked dragon and walked back to the apartment. One of them opened the door and the two earth dragons brought him inside before they rested him on a seating pillow.

None of them noticed, but Dusk was hiding in the closet and she was scared that the students might have hurt Tamhigan and brought his dead body back.

"Should we wait for him to wake up or leave immediately?" the fear dragoness asked curiously as they all looked at the unconscious dragon on the pillow.

"I think it would be best if we get to class. We're already late and how angry Brand get's when people are late for class." the fire dragoness replied and everyone nodded in agreement.

Once they all agreed, the students started to leave the room one or two at a time. The two earth dragons that carried him stayed however and they looked down at the hero on the pillow.

"I wonder if this has anything to do with Silver's disappearance." the first earth dragon commented quietly with a hint of sadness.

"Hey, I'm sure your sister's fine. She's probably just staying at her dorm room and studying her head off for next week's test." the second earth dragon comforted.

"I checked her room already and she wasn't there… I feel like something terrible happened." the first dragon replied with a slight whimper.

"She'll be okay. I promise." the other earth dragon said softly, unsure of what else to say.

The two males looked at each other and stared into the other's eye. They then slowly leaned forward and kissed each other on the lips. They held the kiss for a few moments before the pulled away and turned around. They both walked out of the apartment with their tails intertwined and they made sure to shut the door behind them.

Once all the students were gone, Dusk cautiously opened the closet door and peeked her head out to check if it was safe. Once she felt confident that nothing would hurt her, she ran out of the closet and right up to Tamhigan.

"Tamy? Tamy, are you okay?" the little dragoness asked worriedly as she nudged his shoulder with her snout.

Nothing happened for a moment and she sat down, lowering her head in sadness. She immediately looked up however when she heard him groan and his eyes opened behind the mask he was wearing.

"TAMY!" Dusk cried as she hopped onto his chest and hugged his masked face.

The post-apocalyptic dragon wasn't sure what was happening exactly, but he felt at ease seeing the child so happy. He gently picked her up with his front paws as he sat up so he was sitting on his hunches. Once he was more comfortable, he set her down again and she looked up at him with a bright smile.

"What happened?" the former human asked quietly as he looked down at her.

"I don't know. You didn't come back for awhile, but a bunch of dragons carried you in here. I was too scared to thank them though." the young shadow dragoness explained with her head down in shame.

"…You were doing what I told you to do." Tamhigan told her as he gently rested his biomechanical paw on her shoulder, instantly filling her with comfort.

There was a knock at the door soon after he said that, making Dusk yelp. The larger dragon pointed to the closet and she instantly hid ran over to it and shut the door behind her. The door that led to the exit opened soon after and the tow earth dragons from earlier walked in with a large plate of pancakes.

"I knew he'd be awake." the first earth dragon commented triumphantly and the other rolled his eyes.

"We brought you some breakfast. I hope you like it." the second visitor explained as he placed the large plate on the table next to Tamhigan.

The masked dragon nodded in response and the two earth dragons bowed in respect. He was very surprised that they cared about him enough to bring him food and he determined that they were part of the group of dragons that Dusk was referring to.

"Don't worry about Orm. We won't tell a soul what we saw." the first earth dragon assured with a stern nod.

The black scaled dragon looked at the warm food next to him and nodded again in thanks. The two muscular earth dragons nodded back with big smiles before they walked out, shutting the door behind them.

Tamhigan heard the sound of the closet door opening and he turned his head to face the closet to see Dusk walking out. He couldn't help, but crack a small smile behind his mask when he saw her staring at the food. He scooted over on the sleeping pillow and pat the now available spot next to him.

The little dragoness chirped happily before she ran up to him and plopped down on the soft cushion. She watched the larger dragon grab the plat and set it down on the floor in front of them. He took off his gas mask and set it to the side before they both started eating their breakfast.

* * *

Back in the swamps outside the Temple, both Jord and Rädsla were wandering around together, trying to find Orm so they could see how things went. They both seemed relatively calm, but the Fear Guardian seemed a bit irritated. He was probably a little angry because he was wandering around in the muck.

The two Guardians eventually made it to the clearing and they stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Orm. Jord looked at her dead body in horror while Rädsla retained his slightly irritated expression.

"Orm! Oh fuck, Orm!" the large Earth Guardian yelled as he ran up to her corpse and he stared at her bullet wound and nearly decapitated head. "No…" he whispered.

"Well, that answers the question whether Tamhigan is a killer or not." the Fear Guardian commented calmly, causing his fellow Guardian to glare at him.

"Don't you care that Orm is dead!?" the overweight dragon demanded with a snarl.

"Not in the slightest, fat ass." the much skinnier dragon replied emotionlessly. "I don't give a shit about Mörker either." he admitted.

"I outta kill you for disrespecting them." Jord growled as he stood up and he even adopted a combat stance.

"Try it." Rädsla challenged with a deathly frown. "You know quite well that I could end this without even raising a talon." he added while a small puff of crimson gas escaped his nostrils as a warning.

The Earth Guardian growled again, knowing that he was right and looked down at the fallen Poison Guardian again. His expression softened as he looked at her wide open, yet lifeless eyes.

'I promise that I'll be the one to kill Tamhigan for you, my love. Just give me some time… I'll make sure to kill Rädsla for you too.' Jord promised in his head as the Fear Guardian calmly walked off.


	10. We Live in a Fucked up World

**Kwai kwai nidobak! Ni dôni gia? I'm sure none of you understand what I just wrote. That translates to "Hello, friends. How are you?" It really amazes me how many people are reading my stories and leaving reviews. You fans are awesome, I hope you know that. I love reading all of your opinions and comments in the reviews. I'm also glad that I'm not the only one here who likes Turok. That's enough of me babbling, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 10: We Live in a Fucked up World

Tamhigan and Dusk finished eating their breakfast some time ago and the empty plate was now in the sink. The older dragon still had his mask off and he was sitting on one of the seating pillows while the young dragoness sat across from him.

She was currently looking at his heavily scarred face, as well as the rest of his body. She couldn't even fathom what he went through in order to get all those scars and she partially didn't want to know. She knew better than to ask him how he got them however and she just looked at him.

The scarred dragon was perfectly fine with her looking at his scars; he never really cared when people stared at him. He could see the curiosity in her eyes, but he didn't want to tell her how they came to be. Maybe he'd tell her when she was older.

Many other things were also going on in Tamhigan's head. He still wanted to stop the Guardians from their corruption, but he knew that they were very skilled with tier elements and it would be suicide if he tried to take them all on at once. That last fight was WAY too close and he had Dusk to consider now. He didn't even want to think about what those crazy bastards would do if they found Dusk.

The two dragons sat there in silence, each thinking about completely different things. After awhile though, the little dragoness finally spoke up.

"What are we gonna do now?" she asked curiously, honestly not knowing what to do now that she was free of her brother's grasp.

"…I don't know." Tamhigan answered honestly after a few more moments of silence.

The young shadow dragoness nodded in response and looked down at her front feet. She was willing to do whatever he told her to do, but she really didn't want to stay at the Temple or anywhere near that place. Those years with her brother were traumatizing to her and the other Guardians weren't very nice to her either. She was especially scared of Rädsla. Something about him made her just shiver at the mere thought of him, and it wasn't because he was a fear dragon either.

The only Guardian was somewhat nice was Vind, and even she was creepy in her own way. Dusk remembered how the Guardian always said how she'd be a pretty dragoness when she grew up and that she'd get all the guys to do anything for her when that happened. It kinda made Dusk's scales shudder from the way Vind spoke to her while she was in captivity because of her own brother.

Dusk decided to think of less depressing things and looked over at Tamhigan again. She looked him over and her golden colored eyes stopped at his biomechanical paw on his right foreleg.

"Hey, Tamy… how did you get a metal paw?" the young black dragoness asked hesitantly, unable to contain her curiosity. 'It's kinda scary, but cool at the same time.' she thought to herself.

"…My real paw was cut off by Malefor, three hundred years ago." the scarred dragon answered honestly, not wanting to lie to her or ignore her.

"Wow…" the little shadow dragoness said with wide eyes as she started at his metal appendage. 'That must've hurt a lot.' she thought to herself with a cringe.

They were both silent for a bit after that, neither one of them knowing what to say. The little dragoness started looking at his scarred body again and she couldn't hold back the big question any more.

"How did you get all those scars?" Dusk asked quietly, trying not to be disrespectful.

Tamhigan really didn't want to answer that question and he remained silent for awhile. Just when she thought he wouldn't answer, period, he spoke up.

"I lived a tough life… I'll tell you more when you're older." he finally answered.

Dusk couldn't say she was satisfied with his answer, but she respected it nonetheless. She could tell that whatever he went through to get those scars must have been rough, even for her. It would probably be best to leave the topic alone at the moment.

Something that caught the young dragoness' attention however, was that he still seemed very tired from the chemical that was injected into him from earlier. She really felt bad for him at this point. He was just trying to get her some food and he was nearly killed for it.

"You should get some sleep." Dusk recommended and she pointed at the sleeping pillow in the other room for emphasis.

Tamhigan wanted to stay awake, but he knew that the chemicals were making him tired and he nodded slowly. He stood up and walked into the bedroom to sleep. Once she saw that the scarred dragon was resting on the sleeping pillow, she grabbed one of the books off the bookshelf and looked through it in an attempt to find some cool pictures.

She wasn't able to find anything interesting and she sighed as she closed the book. She figured that the others would lead to the same results and decided to take a nap like Tamhigan.

Dusk layed down on the seating pillow and closed her eyes to sleep as well. she soon found herself in a peaceful slumber and she dreamed about her future life with her new guardian.

* * *

Back in the swamps, Jord watched with a frown as a couple cheetahs used a stretcher carry Orm's dead body away. He was very upset that the love of his life was killed by none other than Tamhigan, the great savior of the Dragon Realms. He couldn't stand how things turned out and he hated what had just transpired.

Rädsla on the other hand looked flat out bored and he just wanted to get out of there. All he wanted to do was get back to his office so he could write in his journal. He also wanted to see if he could get his claws on another test subject soon.

After the two cheetahs left with the body, the Earth Guardian sighed and looked down. He really wanted some comfort right now, but the other Guardians never were nice to him and he was sure as hell that Rädsla wouldn't help him.

"I have work to do. Try not to start sobbing in front of students. Keep the little respect you have." the Fear Guardian said emotionlessly before he walked off to the Temple.

The overweight dragon's frowned deepened from his fellow Guardian's statement and he growled deep in his throat. He always hated Rädsla, but he could never do anything to him because he could easily take him down.

'I can't take him on right now, and it would be suicide to try to take on Tamhigan out in the open. I need to plan this carefully. Dammit! Orm was the one who planned this shit out.' Jord thought to himself in frustration as he walked down the dirt path back towards the Temple.

It was at that moment in which he realized that he had a class to teach. He growled in irritation from this as he entered the Temple and he walked down the marble tiled hallway. He really didn't' want to waste his time with these sacks of meat right now.

'Fuck it. Those brats can kill each other for all I care.' the Earth Guardian thought bitterly as he walked into his office and locked the door behind him.

Jord sat down at his desk with a heavy sigh and opened the drawer. He used his right forepaw to take out a vial of white liquid and he popped the cork. He looked at the label on the bottle that read "boswellia" and took a swig from the vial,

Once the bottle was empty, he tossed it in the garbage can and stood up. He walked over to the same table that he used to eat his victims and layed down on his side.

'I promise that I'll never cheat on you, Orm." the overweight dragon thought to himself with a heavy sigh.

The Earth Guardian slowly slid his right forepaw to his crotch and started rubbing the slit between his legs. He moaned softly as the tip of his member peeked out of the slit and he kept rubbing it until it was at full length. He wanted to do this to show just how loyal he was to his now dead mate.

Jord took a few heavy breaths before he used his sharp claws to cut into his own organ. He grunted loudly in pain and whimpered. He sliced deeply though his shaft until his claws pierced the other end.

Blood dripped onto the table as he kept slicking into his sensitive flesh. He kept on cutting until his penis was completely severed from his body, making him scream in agony. He wasn't' don however. He shakily brought the bloody penis to his mouth and slowly pushed it into his open mouth, making him gag.

The large dragon started sucking his own severed member in a display of gory auto-fellatio. He suckled on the blood covered penis until he finally chomped on the tip, severing it. He chewed o the man-meat and swallowed it before he took another bite of his own penis. He repeated this until he had eaten his entire member and he licked the blood off his talons.

The Earth Guardian panted heavily as he slowly stood up on his very wobbly legs and he his crotch dripped blood onto the floor. He was shivering uncontrollably from shock and he felt like he was gonna pass out at any moment.

'I love you, Orm.' Jord thought to himself as he walked over to the door and opened it, wanting to go to the infirmary so he wouldn't bleed to death.

* * *

All the way in Warfang, it was a clear and sunny day. Everyone was performing their daily routines and other activities. The birds flew through the skies while the city guards patrolled the streets and city walls as usual.

The city itself hasn't changed much in the last three hundred years. Many of the buildings retained their stone-like structure and the streets were stone as well. The only differences was that there were cannons that resembled cannons from colonial times at the city walls and most of the guards and even a few citizens were carrying firearms.

One of these familiar looking buildings was an orphanage. This place was meant for children whose parents either were killed or left them there, not wanting them. The ages of the children ranged from an egg all the way to eighteen. Most of the orphans stayed close to each other and were friendly to one another, but there were two children who were different.

In the foyer were two dragons that were no older than eight years old and they were washing the floor. There was no one else in the room to help them and they were all alone.

"How long do we have to do this, Tabaldak?" one of the children whined as she scrubbed a particularly gross stain on the floor.

"Until we're told to stop by Director Hyckleri tells us to stop. We'll just have to keep cleaning, Managuen." the other child, now known as Tabaldak, replied with a heavy sigh.

Tabaldak he possessed purple scales with a navy blue underbelly and wing membranes. Four silver horns rested on his head and they were each serrated. His tailblade was also silver and it resembled a tomahawk or axe. He also had a small, diagonal scar on his right cheek and his eyes were dark brown.

Managuen had purple scales as well, but her underbelly and wing membranes were lime green. She had two silver horns that curbed forward slightly and her silver tailblade resembled a serrated combat knife. She also had dark brown eyes, but no scars.

Yes, it was true. Both of these young children were Purple Dragons of Legend; as well as brother and sister. There hasn't been a purple dragon for at least two hundred years and two purple dragons just show up out of the blue? It didn't matter though, because they both got the same kind of treatment. Hate.

The two siblings continued cleaning the floor like they were supposed to until a bunch of other orphans walked in, laughing. They stop talking to each other when they noticed the two purple dragons and they glared at them.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Two purple filth cleaning the floors like they should. Better than you pieces of shit trying to destroy the world." the oldest amongst the group, an ice dragon, commented and the rest of his group chuckled.

Managuen's lower lip quivered from their hurtful words and she looked down, trying to stop herself from crying. This just made the gang laugh and her brother comfortingly hugged her.

"You two are nothing! No one will ever adopt monsters like you and you'll turn out to be no better than the Dark Master!" an earth dragon yelled at the two younger children.

"You two mine as well just kill yourselves." a fire dragoness commented with a cruel smirk. "You would be put out of your misery and we wouldn't have to deal with you. It's a win-win." she added with a chuckle.

This made the two purple hatchlings started crying and they backed away from the gang of older orphans.

"I say we just beat them up until they do decide to kill themselves." a muscular shadow dragon suggested and the others in the group nodded in agreement.

The gang of older dragons slowly approached the two purple dragons, making them take a few steps back in fear. The two siblings kept backing up until they felt the wall behind them.

"P-p-please d-don't hurt us." Managuen pleaded shakily and she stayed close to her for support.

"Uh-uh. You two are gonna get your daily beating and there's nothing you can do about it." the ice dragon said sadistically as he cracked his neck.

This in fact happened on a daily basis. A group of orphans would beat up to two siblings simply because of the color of their scales and they got away with it. The two purple dragons were the ones who got in trouble as well. That's why they were cleaning the floor in the first place.

The gang of dragons were still walking up to the two kids. They could possibly slip by and flee, but they were too scared to try it. They've tried to run away in the past, but they only succeeded in getting them a harsher beating.

'Kids… run…!' a mysterious voice spoke in both Tabaldak and Managuen's heads.

The brother and sister didn't know where the voice originated from, but they weren't gonna question it's advice. The two purple scaled children dashed between the ice dragon's legs and ran out the door. They heard the gang shouting for them to come back and they looked over their shoulders to see the very angry gang running after them.

Tabaldak and Managuen ran as fast as their little legs could take them, but the older kids were easily catching up. They ran out of the orphanage itself and onto the streets of Warfang.

"HELP!" Managuen screamed as she and her brother ran from the ones who wished them harm.

None of the adults paid them any mind however and some of them even looked at the purple children with a sneer. A small amount of adults looked like they wanted to help, but they didn't want to damage their social reputation, so they stayed put.

The two purple siblings lost hope that they would be rescued, but they still kept running. They tried to run into the crowd of adults so they could blend in, but many of the adults simply stepped aside so the siblings could be easily seen.

The gang of dragons were gaining and the two purple dragons were running out of options. The only thing left to do was try to lose them in the alleys. They ran into the closest alleyway and sprinted full speed. Their hearts sank however when they saw that it was a dead end.

The two young dragons hesitantly looked behind them to see the gang staring at them with toothy grins. Tabaldak gulped and bravely stood in front of his sister in an attempt to protect her.

"It seems like your little escape attempt failed. Now we're gonna hurt you for twice as long and twice as hard." the ice dragon informed them as the group quickly blocked all possible escape routes.

"Why do you hate us so much? We never did anything wrong." Tabaldak demanded as he and his sister started sobbing in both fear and depressed sadness.

"Because we don't need purple scaled trash in the world. I bet your just gonna be prison meat before your old enough to even leave the orphanage." the fire dragoness replied with a chuckle.

The brother and sister continued crying in hopelessness and they looked down at the floor, expecting to feel imminent pain. Their heads bolted up however when black mist appeared out of nowhere and everyone was blinded. There was a loud growling sound and the gang could be heard screaming in fear and running away.

The two young dragons were shaking in fear and staying very close to each other. They saw that the black mist began to fade and an adult dragon could be seen staring at them.

This dragon was very complex in appearance. The scales that covered his slender, yet muscular body were black as night. Both his underbelly and wing membranes were dark green while his eyes were blood red, almost complimenting his green features. His two ivory colored horns somewhat resembled Spyro's, but his were obviously sharper and were serrated. There were also serrated spikes sticking out of his shoulders and many other parts of his body. There was a serrated biomechanical tailblade at the end of his tail that was also shaped like a tear and was serrated. Lastly, his claws were serrated and two fangs stuck out of his mouth.

"So, you're the purple dragons I've heard of." the very intimidating dragon spoke with a voice that seemed to fill the alley with dread.

"Who are you, mister?" Tabaldak asked fearfully as he used his wings to hold his sister close.

The dragon flashed them a toothy grin and he chuckled as he took a single step forward.

"My name is… Demodius." the dark dragon answered.

**The character, Demodius, is owned by both Zach the Fire Dragon and Admiralkirk. He's the main antagonist in both of their series.**


	11. Change of Plans

**Kwai kwai everyone! Well, this story officially has the most amount of reviews out of all of my stories, and the plot is still just picking up. I'm sure that most of you are wondering what will happen two the two purple dragons and what role they'll have in the story. You'll just have to wait and see to get the answer. Anyway, I'm on Spring Break now, so I'll try to post more chapters at a faster pace for you readers. Like always, Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 11: Change of Plans

Tabaldak and Managuen stared at Demodius with fear in their dark brown eyes. The dark dragon just chuckled at them and took a step closer. They would've backed up some more, but the wall behind them prevented them from doing so.

"Don't even try running. I'll only keep you for a moment." the intimidating dragon told them with a casual tone of voice. "I find the purple dragons interesting and I felt like it would be a waste to see you delve into such a pathetic state. I recommend you leave this city and do what the purple dragons are meant to do… fulfill your destiny." he explained with a dark grin.

The two siblings didn't know what he was talking about, but they didn't even bother to question him. The shadow dragon turned around so his back was facing them and he faded away in a cloud of shadows.

"T-Tabaldak… what just happened?" the young purple dragoness asked shakily as she looked at her brother.

"I don't know." the purple hatchling that was her brother answered just as shakily. "But I think we should do what he says and leave Warfang." he told her.

She was scared to leave the one place they had both called home, but she also wanted to get away from all the hatred and bullying. She nodded slowly and he nodded back.

Demodius watched from a nearby rooftop as the two young siblings slowly walked out of the alley and towards the city gates. He chuckled lightly and looked up at the blue sky. He had wanted to save them so that they could grow up to be like Malefor and he promised himself that he would check up on them every once in awhile. For now though, he had a job to do and he took flight towards the forests outside the city.

* * *

The two purple siblings had made it to the city gates without much trouble. The only thing they had to endure during the walk was multiple hateful glares from the adults. Once they were right at the gates, one of the mole guards looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Where are you two purple scales going?" he asked with honest curiosity.

"A-anywhere, but here." Tabaldak answered quietly as they both looked down at their paws.

The mole guard just shrugged uncaringly and signaled for his comrades to open the gate. The other guards did so without question and the gates slowly opened, revealing the grasslands and forests that lead to the rest of the world.

"Do me a favor and die quickly before you can pollute the Realms with your darkness." the gatekeeper said coldly as the two children walked out of the city, nearly at the verge of crying.

The two siblings heard the gates shut behind them and they started walking down the dirt path, not knowing where they were going. They had no idea what the future held for them or how they'd even support themselves in the wild, but anywhere was better than that hellhole of an orphanage.

* * *

About an hour later in the swamps, Tamhigan woke up in his sleeping pillow and his dark brown eyes slowly opened. His eyes scanned around his environment to see that he was still at his apartment and he could hear Dusk's soft snoring in the living room.

The heavily scarred dragon slowly stood up and stretched similarly to a cat. He groaned quietly as his bones popped into place before he stood up straight. He decided to walk into the other room to see how Dusk was doing and like the snoring implied, she was sleeping on one of the seating pillows.

Throughout all of his years of life, Tamhigan had never seen anything so peaceful before in his life. He was so used to death, horror, and suffering that peace and innocence was foreign to him. He was jealous of her in a way. She could experience a childhood while his was robbed from him. But he didn't let this dampen his opinion of her. He wanted to give her the best childhood he could give her; the childhood he never had.

This promise got him thinking however. The black electric dragon realized that he couldn't care for her if he was out killing the Guardians like he planned out for himself. There was no way in hell that he could fight a one man war against some six of the most powerful dragon sin the Realm AND take care of a child at the same time. He had to make a hard decision. End the corruption or raise a child that wasn't even his.

Tamhigan was brought out of his thoughts from a knock at the door. He figured that it was some of the students from earlier and walked over to the door without even bothering to put on his gas mask. He sighed quietly before he turned the doorknob with his metal paw and began to open the door.

The wooden door burst open however and Rädsla rushed in. The Fear Guardian was wearing his iron gas mask and he bore a sadistic grin behind the metal respirators. The post-apocalyptic dragon was too stunned to defend himself and the larger fear dragon sprayed hi crimson red fear gas right at his face.

"TAMY!" Dusk cried as she woke up to see her caretaker fall to the ground and try to wipe the elemental chemicals out of his eyes and off his face.

"So, Orm's suspicions were correct… you murdered Mörker and kidnapped sister." the Fear Guardian commented as he calmly shut the door behind him and looked down at the teenager.

The post-apocalyptic dragon began to breathe heavily as his heart rate went up and he slowly looked up at the masked dragon before him. He was able to realize that the mask was remarkably similar to his own gas mask. His eyes widened as blood began to drip out of the respirator holes and the Guardian chuckled with a demonic voice.

"You know, this is the first time that me or anyone in the whole world has ever seen your face. I feel pretty honored." Rädsla spoke with his corrupted sounding voice while the room became foggy and it somehow started snowing.

Tamhigan's breathing quickened and he felt his already tense muscles lock into place as the apartment sizzled away as if it was burned and the ruins of Boston formed around them in all its dead glory. The faint sounds of caws could be heard in the distance and the occasional scream of an unlucky survivor could also be heard.

Dusk watched all of this with horrified, yet confused eyes. From what she was seeing, Tamhigan was at a fetal position on the floor and whimpering occasionally while the Fear Guardian stood over him. She's never seen a fear dragon use his/her element before, so she had no idea what he was doing to her father-figure.

"Leave Tamy alone!" the young shadow dragoness yelled with tears in her eyes, but Rädsla continued to stare at Tamhigan as if neither one of them heard her.

She knew that she had to do something. Tamhigan looked like he was about to have a heart attack judging by his fast breathing and fear filled eyes. Thinking quickly, Dusk rushed up to the corrupt Guardian and bit into his leg with all her might.

"OW!" Rädsla gasped and he looked down at her with a furious glare.

The Fear Guardian swatted her away with a mighty flick of the wrist and she fell to the floor with a thud. He raised his claws to slash at her, but he stopped and lowered his paw.

"Maybe it's not your time to die… yet. I think you two should suffer more before that happens." He spoke sadistically as he used his tail to open the door. "I'll send Brand over so he can teach you some manners." he said casually before he walked out of the apartment as if nothing happened and shut the door behind him.

Once he was gone, the little shadow dragoness ran over to her caretaker and started shaking his shoulder, trying to get him to break him from whatever trance he was in.

"Tamy! Tamy! Please wake up…" she begged as she started crying and she pressed her face against his heaving chest.

In Tamhigan's perspective, the winter wasteland he was in was slowly forming back to his apartment and it slowly stopped snowing. He saw that Dusk was crying on his chest and he shakily pulled her into a hug.

"Tamy!" the hatchling cried as she wrapped all four of her legs around him and even her wings. "I thought you weren't gonna come back." she sobbed.

"It's okay… I'm here now… I'm okay…" the post-apocalyptic dragon assured as he breathed heavily to calm down.

He realized at that moment that Rädsla used some kind of fear gas to change what he was seeing and hearing. He also made his decision at that point. He had to bring Dusk somewhere safe and away from this madness.

"I'm taking you away from here." the heavily scarred dragon informed her once she pulled away and he slowly stood up.

"Where are we going, Tamy?" she asked as she watched him grab his gas mask and put it on over his face.

"Away from this place." he replied simply as he led her over to the door.

He was about to open the door, but someone smashed open the door and knocked him to the ground with a deep grunt of pain. He gasped loudly when he felt a strong force hold him down and he looked up to see the larger Fire Guardian on top of him.

"Hello, small boy." he greeted with a devilish grin.

"Run!" he shouted to Dusk and she sprinted for the exit without question. The muscular fire dragon didn't even attempt to stop her and he just looked at the dragon that was under him.

"I'm gonna beat you to death. I doubt I'll even need to use my fire element." he gloated with a dark chuckle.

Tamhigan frowned deeply behind his gas mask and slashed the larger dragon's side with his biomechanical claws, making his opponent gasp in pain and pull away. The black dragon quickly made it to his feet and made sure to make some distance between him and the obviously stronger fire dragon, who easily recovered from the attack.

"Bad move, bitch." the Fire Guardian grinned before he charged up to the teenager.

The post-apocalyptic dragon used his wings to shield his face, but Brand just picked him up and effortlessly through him clean through the wall and into the bedroom. Tamhigan coughed heavily from the pain as he tried to stand up, but the overly muscular dragon grabbed him again and head-butted him.

The black scaled dragon felt blood come out of his nose behind his mask and Brand threw him onto the bookcase with a loud grunt. The black dragon smashed onto the shelves and a bunch of books fell on top of him.

"You're not as tough as the legends say you are." the overly muscular dragon mocked as he walked up to the scarred dragon and picked him up by the scruff of his neck.

Tamhigan was about to attempt to struggle free, but the larger dragon threw him against the wall again. Luckily, he didn't' go through it again and only hit the wall with a smash. He layed on the ground, dazed, as the Fire dragon walked up to him.

Just when they were close enough to strike one another, Tamhigan raised his metal paw to strike. Brand easily grabbed his wrist however, stopping the attack. The black dragon just looked up at the dragon as if saying "really?" behind his mask and the Fire Guardian smirked innocently.

The post-apocalyptic dragon grunted as he was picked up again and carried him to the kitchen. Brand opened the woodstove and lit a fire with his breath. He then positioned Tamhgian's face on over the metal surface that was quickly heating up and started to push him towards the metal.

Tamhigan realized what was happening with wide eyes and he struggled tooth and nail to get away. Brand didn't like that and started choking the outmatched teenager as he pushed down.

The black scaled dragon let out loud choking noises as he was pushed closer and closer to the burning hot metal and he felt sweat seep out from between his scales. Just when he was about to touch the blazing hot metal, he stabbed Brand in the stomach with his metal claws and let out a continuous surge of dark blue electricity.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" the Fire Guardian screamed in pain as he bolted away and fell over with a loud thud.

The Native American gasped for air as he quickly pulled away from the woodstove and rubbed his sore throat. He glared at the muscular dragon before him and crouched down.

"RRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Tamhigan roared as he charged forward and tackled the much larger dragon to the ground.

The Fire Guardian snarled and opened his mouth to let out a torrent of flames, but the masked dragon used a single talon from both of his front paws to stab into the larger dragon's eyes. Brand cried loudly in pain as blood oozed out of his eye sockets and he tried in vain to get his opponent off of him.

"Die." Tamhigan growled quietly before he let another continuous surge of electricity spark out of his claws.

"GGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Brand screamed as loudly as he could as the dark blue electricity entered his head and his brain began to melt from the intense energy.

Brain matter and blood leaked out of the Fire Guardian's eye sockets as he let out stuttered screams. He finally went silent and went limp after a few moments and he died on the spot.

Tamhigan panted heavily as he slowly pulled his bloody talons out of the corpse's eye sockets and he back up. He tripped and landed on the seating pillow behind him. He was relieved that he was able to defeat the Guardian because he honestly thought he wouldn't survive that fight.

'Ready for another story?' Dylan's voice asked in the black electric dragon's head. "Many, many years ago, Brand was the kind of kid who had to be the toughest kid on the block. He would often challenge people to fights so he could improve his ego and he liked to play sports. Well, one fateful day, he was chosen to be the next Fire Guardian. Brand didn't want to wait to become the Guardian though, so he killed the previous Fire Guardian in his sleep. The only reason why he did all of this was because he wanted to prove to the world how tough he was. I guess you proved that he wasn't the toughest of the tough." He explained with some dark humor at the end.

Tamhigan just nodded as his great-grandfather's voice faded away and he slowly stood up. He knew that he had to leave the Temple now. Three of the Guardians were dead and the rest were bound to try to kill him.

Wanting to leave as soon as possible, the gas mask wearing dragon stumbled to the apartment exit and outside. He quickly looked around and spotted Dusk hiding under one of the benches. She gasped when she saw him and quickly ran over to him.

"Tamy, are you okay!?" she asked with a very worried expression.

The post-apocalyptic dragon nodded slowly and glanced at the nearby Temple. He knew the Guardians were in there and they were most likely waiting for Brand's return. He exhaled deeply behind his mask before he turned to look at her again.

"We need to leave. Now." He informed her with his usual deep tone of voice.

The little shadow dragoness nodded without question and hopped onto his back. Tamhigan craned his neck to look at her, making sure that she was secure, before he looked up at the sky. He had no idea where they could possibly go, but anywhere was better than staying at the Temple with five more than likely angry Guardians.

The heavily scarred electricity dragon spread his dark green wings before he took flight with one mighty flap. He felt Dusk hold onto the back of his neck so she wouldn't fall off as he flew higher up into the air.

Once they were at a good height in the air, he evened out and started flying over the giant mushrooms and swamps. Not having a set destination in mind, he chose a random direction and started flying at a fast past. He wanted to make as much distance between them and the Guardians at the moment.

The Temple needed someone to stop the corrupt Guardians, but Tamhigan was not that person. The students of the Temple were lucky that he took out as many as he did. Mörker, Orm, and Brand were dead thanks to him, but in turn, he was nearly killed by Rädsla, the Fear Guardian. He just knew that the Guardians would begin hunting for him now, so he needed to find a good place for him and Dusk to hide.

Tamhigan decided to stop thinking about those Guardians for once and focused on flying. The scenery around them was what one would expect, giant mushrooms covering the land. He did however notice that there were some normal trees in the distance and he flew in their direction. He didn't know what life had in store for them, but whatever it was; Tamhigan and Dusk would face it together and let nothing get in their way for a life of happiness.

Unknown to them both, Demodius was watching them from on top of one of the rooftops and he was grinning from ear to ear.

"So, the great Tamhigan IS still alive. I figured he would've died centuries ago." the dark dragon thought aloud with a chuckle as he watched them fly off.

Demodius decided not to interfere with their travels however and he flew off towards the Temple. The thought of Tamhigan stayed in the back of his mind as he flew however and plans began to form in his head.


	12. The Hunt Begins

**Kwai kwai nidobak! So, now Tamhigan and Dusk left the Temple to start their own life, but as we all know, the bad guys never give up. And don't worry, Demodius will get a bigger role as this story progresses. There's really not much else I can think of to say at the moment. Remember to leave a review or send a PM my way!**

Chapter 12: The Hunt Begins

About an hour has passed since Brand's death and the Guardians weren't pleased in the slightest. They sent Snö to Tamhigan's apartment to see how things were going, only to see the Fire Guardian's dead body on the floor with the post-apocalyptic dragon and Dusk nowhere to be seen. This confirmed their suspicions that Tamhigan was in fact the murderer.

The Guardians were currently in the Pool of Visions room and they were standing around the pool full of the greenish water. They were all silent for a long while, thinking about the death of the Fire, Poison, and Shadow Guardians.

"I can't believe this. The great Tamhigan awakens after three hundred years of slumber and the first thing he does is kills three of us." Vind thought aloud with a heavy frown.

"And where the hell did he and that brat go? Are they running away from us?" Jord questioned with a hateful expression.

"Probably away from here, you penis eating jello jug," Rädsla replied bitterly, making the Earth Guardian snort in both annoyance and hate.

"Would you two just shut up for once?!" Snö snapped with a slight snarl.

The two bickering Guardians just growled at each other, but they otherwise kept quiet. Stöt just rolled his eyes and cleared his throat to speak.

"Tamhigan is obviously fleeing from us and we need to find him before he can get to far." the Electric Guardian informed them all with a calm tone of voice. "Someone, summon the Assassin." he ordered.

"I'm already here." a dark voice spoke all of a sudden.

The five elemental Guardians looked towards the door to see none other than Demodius walk in. Everyone seemed slightly more at ease to see them, but Jord was still upset. He never trusted their assassin.

"Demodius, you have good timing. We have another target for you." Stöt started as he raised his chin up a little to look more professional.

"Let me guess. It's the great Tamhigan of Legend." the dark dragon said and the Guardians' eyes widened in surprise, making him smirk. "I guess I'm right." he commented with a slight chuckle.

"How did you know?" Vind asked with amazement in her gray eyes.

"I saw him flying away from the Temple like a bat outta hell. My guess is that he was heading for Great Forest to the East of here." Demodius explained as he slowly walked closer to the older dragons.

'This guy's no older than seventeen and he's as experienced as all of us combined. I wonder what he went through in life to make him this skilled and… deformed.' Rädsla thought to himself. 'I wonder what he's scared of.' he thought as a wolfish smirk formed on his lips.

"Alright, can you track down the target?" Stöt questioned, getting back on topic.

"Yeah, I can find him easily." the intimidating dragon answered casually as he looked at the serrated claws on his paws.

"Excellent. Also, I'd like one or two of us Guardians to go with you. We are dealing with the great Tamhigan, after all." the Electric Guardian replied calmly and their assassin frowned.

"Fine." Demodius agreed, obviously not pleased with this arrangement. "Which one of you will be coming with me?" he asked gruffly.

"Hmm… Snö and Vind will go with you." Stöt answered after a few moments of thinking.

"That's actually a pretty good idea. I'll be able to pay you as soon as the kill is made." the Ice Guardian told their assassin with a grin.

"It's been too long since I've traveled anywhere outside the swamps." the Wind Guardian thought aloud with a small smile.

"Then it's settled. Snö, Vind, and Demodius will hunt down and kill the Great Tamhigan for his crimes against the Guardians." the Guardian of Electricity spoke up and everyone nodded in agreement. "Meeting adjourned." he announced and everyone walked out without another word.

The Assassin led the Ice and Wind Guardians outside and all three of them took flight towards the east, the same direction Tamhigan was going. It might not have been an easily alliance, but their goals were aligned and they were willing to tolerate each other in order to complete this goal.

* * *

Tamhigan had been flying for awhile now without rest and Dusk was still firmly on his back. He had since slowed down because he was confident that they made some good distance from the Temple back in the swamps.

The little shadow dragoness on his back calmly looked around the forests below with wide eyes. She's never been anywhere outside the swamps before and the trees looked beautiful to her. She also noticed that her father-figure was starting to get tired and she very lightly tugged on one of the gas mask's straps.

"Tamy, can we take a break?" the black scaled hatchling requested politely.

Tamhigan looked back at her and nodded before he began to glide down to the ground. He landed in a small clearing that was right next to a spacious lake. Dusk hopped off his back and onto the soft grass. She smiled as she looked at the water and tall trees surrounding them.

The little dragoness quickly ran over to the water and jumped in, making the water splash. She giggled as she started swimming around and she looked over at her caretaker, who was still on the shore.

The post-apocalyptic dragon just shook his head and took a step back. He saw a quick flash of a large group of human men wearing white masks trying to drown him in a tub of water and looked away. He recalled that moment when those Ku Klux Klan soldiers tried to carve a swastika into his face while they drowned him.

"C'mon, Tamy! Please!" the small hatchling pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"…I don't like water." Tamhigan said honestly as he looked at her again. "But I'll be here if you need me." he assured her.

Dusk couldn't say that she was satisfied with that answer, but she could tell that he really wasn't fond of water at all. She just sighed quietly and continued to swim around.

The post-apocalyptic dragon sat down near the lake's shore so he could easily watch her and relax. He didn't want to go into the water, but he would if she was in trouble or something along those lines. Otherwise, he'd stay dry on the land.

About an hour passed before Tamhigan motioned for her to come back to shore. Dusk obediently swam back and walked onto the land once more she shook like a dog to get the water off, but she saw that she got her caretaker wet in the process.

"Sorry…" the black scaled hatchling apologized with a sheepish smile and a blush of embarrassment.

The older dragon just shook his head and brushed some of the water off his shoulders with his organic front paw. The little dragoness giggled and she sat down next to him. It was at that moment that Tamhigan realized that they didn't' have any food and that he needed to hunt. Throughout his whole life, he's never actually hunted for food before. He was used to scavenging because the animals back on Earth were too polluted to be eaten.

"Dusk, I need to get us food. Can you hide somewhere until I get back?" the post-apocalyptic dragon asked as he looked down at her.

"you got it, Tamy." the little shadow dragoness assured before she got up and dived into some thick bushes so she would remain undetected during his departure.

Feeling confident that no one would see her, the masked dragon stood up himself and walked off into the more forested areas of his current environment. He quietly made his way through the forest and slowed his breathing to keep quiet until he saw a lone dear eating some grass. Now wanting to scare it, he silently took off his gas mask and clipped it to his leather sling.

Tamhigan silently creeped up the deer and crouched down. He waited a few tense moments before he pounced onto the mammal's back and bit down on its neck as hard as possible. The animal fought to get him off for a bit, but his strength was far great than its and it fell to the ground, dead.

Not wanting to damage the animal's pelt too much, the black scaled dragon loosened his haw and pulled his head away. He recalled having visions in his while he was in the time crystal. These visions showed him how his native ancestors lived and how they did things; including how to gut an animal.

The post-apocalyptic dragon dragged the dead animal back to the clearing and set it down. Dusk ran up to him once she saw him and he looked down at her.

"Can you get some firewood?" he asked her as he wiped the blood off his snout.

The little dragoness nodded as she saluted him with her wind and she ran to the other side of the clearing to collect the desired wood. As she did this, her caretaker used the serrated edge of his metal claws to cut open the animal to save the pelt and he expertly gutted the animal. He was glad that he kept the leather bag that Frost gave him when he stayed in the Awan Plains because he was using it to store the animal's bones and various other parts that he might be able to trade with a nearby settlement.

Once the only thing left was the meat and a bloodstain on the grass, Tamhigan looked over at Dusk to see that she had retrieved the firewood and already placed them in a pile to burn. He nodded in thanks to her as he placed a single talon on the bottom of the pile and let out a small shock. The energy was hot enough to cause a small fire, which soon turned into a crackling fire.

Now came the easy part, cooking. Tamhigan had cooked his own food many times in the past, so he was completely capable of this task. He sat down next to the fire and began to cook the meat as the little shadow dragoness watched him. He couldn't help, but think of his past back on Earth as he cooked. The men with white masks, muzzle flashes from loaded guns, and the cries of the monsters… it felt like those thoughts would never go away, no matter how hard he tried to bury them.

The masked dragon shook those thoughts away when he noticed that the deer meat was just about done. He brought the food away from the fire and began to cut it into pieces to make it easier for them both to eat it. He gave an appropriate amount of the meat to Dusk, and set the rest down in front of himself. He knew there was way too much meat for the both of them and there would most likely be leftovers.

"Thank you, Tamy." the black scaled hatchling thanked politely before she started eating her meal.

Tamhigan simply nodded in response before he himself began eating in peace. They were both silent as they ate, enjoying the silence and each other's company.

* * *

In another part of the forest, Tabaldak and Managuen were wandering around. They've been walking for at least two hours and they were both hungry and tired. Neither of them knew how to hunt and they've never even been outside of Warfang before. They had no idea how to survive out there in the wilderness and that made them feel alone and scared.

The two purple siblings walked around the dense forest until they saw small glimpses of smoke above the trees. They both looked each other with wide eyes. Where there was smoke, there was fire, and fire meant civilization. The thought of said civilization hating them because of their scale color crossed their minds, but they were too hungry and tired to really care at the moment.

Deciding to take the chance, the two children followed the smoke until they stopped at the edges of a clearing. They hid in the bushes and saw two dragons sitting by a fire together; one in his late teens and the other had to have been around nine or ten years old. The older dragon had his back to them and they saw him finish eating some meat and put on some kind of strange mask that was as black as his scales. The child on the other hand, was still eating her chuck of deer meat.

"Brother, what should we do?" Managuen asked quietly with a trace of fear in her voice.

"…I'm gonna sneak over there and see if I can steal some of their food for us." Tabaldak whispered back after a few moments of thought.

"Be careful." his sister said very quietly and he nodded with a gulp.

The young purple dragon slowly and quietly walked out of the bushes and stayed low to the ground as to not arouse suspicion. He was thankful that the larger dragon had his back to him and the black scaled child was busy with her food.

Taking a quiet, yet deep breath, Tabaldak creeped up to them and slowly reached his right forepaw out to snatch some of the cooked meat. However, as if a bear trap was set off, the larger dragon quickly grabbed the child's wrist with what looked like a paw made completely out of steel.

"AH! LET ME GO!" the purple child cried as he tried to pull his paw away, but the larger black dragon didn't budge.

Managuen gasped in horror before she jumped out of the bushes and started pounding her clenched paws against the scarred dragon's sides, but it was obvious her pitiful attacks didn't hurt him in the slightest.

The masked dragon, who was none other than Tamhigan, simply looked at the two purple dragons with interest. Judging by their looks, they haven't eaten much lately and they were trying to steal his food. He also found it strange that two hatchlings were wandering around by themselves. Quickly, he glanced at Dusk to see that she was just staring at the scene with wide eyes.

The post-apocalyptic dragon made a decision and released Tabaldak, who quickly backed away with his sister. Neither of them ran away however and they simply started up at him with fear in their dark brown eyes.

"P-please don't be mad at us… we are just hungry. That's all." Managuen shakily explained as she and her brother hugged each other in order to gain some form of comfort.

Tamhigan didn't verbally reply to them however and just motioned for them to come closer. The two purple siblings looked down, not wanting to make eye contact with him and walked towards him at a slow pace. Once they were right in front of him, he pointed at the ground with one of his metal talons. They figured that he wanted them to sit down, so they plopped down on the grass.

This seemed to be what he wanted because he turned away from them and started cutting into the deer meat, confusing them greatly. After a few moments of waiting, he turned back to look at them and placed a good portion of the meat in front of them. The two children's eyes widened as they stared at the food, then up at him.

"Eat." Tamhigan ordered, his voice muffled slightly because of the gas mask he was wearing.

The two purple hatchlings didn't complain and they started eating their new meal. Dusk smiled at her caretaker because of both his kindness and the possibility that she would have friends close to her age. She then continued eating as well.

Tamhigan protectively watched the children eat in silence and he occasionally looked at the forest around them in case anything or anyone tried to jump them. Nothing did however and the children finished eating after a few minutes. He looked down at them to see the three children staring up at him, and the little shadow dragoness was still smiling.

"I don't get it. Why did you help us?" Tabaldak questioned with honest confusion.

"Because Tamy is nice. He saved me from my abusive brother a few days ago." Dusk quickly answered, knowing that Tamhigan didn't really like to talk too much.

"He… saved you?" Managuen asked with amazement and she felt newfound respect for the masked dragon before them.

"Mhm." the shadow dragoness confirmed with a nod. "What are your names?" she asked curiously.

"Managuen." the purple dragoness introduced herself before she pointed at the purple dragon sitting next to her. "And this is my brother, Tabaldak." she introduced with a shy smile.

"It's good to meet you two." the black dragoness replied and the masked dragon nodded in agreement.

"Wait, don't you hate us?" Tabaldak asked as he scratched his head in confusion. "I thought everyone hated purple dragons." he added quietly.

"Hate you? Why would we hate you for your scale color?" Dusk asked as she tilted her head slightly in confusion.

The two purple siblings developed sad frowns from this question and they looked down at the grass under their feet. They didn't answer at first, but Managuen spoke up after a few moments.

"We don't know exactly why ourselves. People always tell us how we're gonna 'end up like Malefor' when we grow up." he answered with a sad sigh at the end.

Tamhigan recognized that name immediately and it clicked. Malefor was a purple dragon as well, but Spyro was also purple and he saved the entire damn planet. Why would people judge an entire ethnic group just because one of them did horrible things?

Another thing that confused him was the two purple hatchlings' names and appearance. Their names sounded oddly familiar in some way. Not the names themselves, but just the way they sounded. They didn't sound English or Draconian in any way. He was also interested in Tabaldak's tailblade. It looked almost exactly like his own, a tomahawk.

The post-apocalyptic dragon decided not to question it and he saw the three hatchlings talking, trying to get to know each other. He smiled lightly behind his mask as he watched them get up and walk over to the lake to swim. It filled his empty heart with warmth knowing that he was the one caring for them now. He always wanted to be a father… and it looks like that dream was coming true.


	13. A Dark Shadow Emerges

**Kwai kwai everyone! Yes, I'm letting Tamhigan show his softer side. What can I say, he's good with kids. I have a little bit of news to say this time. MizterLamp is going to record himself and a few voice actors reading the entire Lightning series and post it on YouTube sometime in the future. That's definitely something to look forward to if you ask me. Also, I created a deviantART account because a bunch of people said that I should make one. My account name is Native-Avenger. I probably won't be very active on that website, but I'll post my artwork every once in awhile. That's all I have to say; remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 13: A Dark Shadow Emerges

Tamhigan had been watching the three hatchlings play in the water for awhile now. He was happy that they were having fun and that he was able to help out those purple dragons, but he really wanted to get going now.

The masked dragon raised his left forepaw in the air and motioned for them to come back. The kids did so after a few moments and they ran up to him.

"Yes, Tamy?" Dusk asked curiously as she and the other two hatchlings looked up at him.

"We need to keep going." the heavily scarred dragon answered quietly.

The little shadow dragoness nodded in understanding before she grabbed the deer pelt and hopped onto his back. She wanted to use the soft fur as a sort of blanket so the wind wouldn't make her cold.

The two black dragons noticed that the siblings were walking away from them and Tamhigan quickly walked around them so he could block their path.

"Where are you guys going?" Dusk asked with obvious confusion.

"We don't' know. We just don't wanna be a burden." Managuen answered quietly with a hint of sadness.

The two black scaled dragons looked at one another as if they were thinking the same thing. They then looked back at the two purple children.

"Come with us." the masked dragon told them as he lowered himself to make it easier to get on his back.

The two purple siblings were greatly surprised by this. They were unprepared for such kindness and they were speechless. They both just nodded and hopped up onto the deer fur on the larger dragon's back.

Tamhigan was easily able to carry the three children and he took flight. He didn't have a set destination was in mind, but he just wanted to get away from that clearing. He felt like they were being watched for the past hour or so.

* * *

Demodius, Snö, and Vind have been silently watching Tamhigan and the three children for over an hour now. They were hiding on some tree branches so no one could see them. The two Guardians appeared to be frustrated while the Assassin looked as come as can be.

"Dammit Demodius, when are you actually gonna do your job?" the Ice Guardian questioned impatiently.

"I'm not just gonna fly down there and fight an opponent I know next to nothing about!" the intimidating dragon snapped harshly, just barely refraining from letting out a snarl.

The two females said nothing after that and they all watched Tamhigan fly off with the children.

'So, it seems like two purple kids found someone to look after. I'll have to change that some time in the future.' Demodius thought to himself when his keen eyes spotted the two purple children on the larger black dragon's back.

He decided that he would make his move soon and took flight. The two Guardians took off with mighty flaps and made sure to stay close to the assassin they hired.

"So, what's the plan?" Vind asked curiously as they flew close to the treetops to make it difficult to be spotted.

Demodius just looked at the two Guardians with a grin and opened his mouth to explain his plot.

* * *

Tamhigan had been flying no longer than half an hour before something strange happened. While he flew, he felt one of the kids tapped the back of his head and he craned his neck to look at them. Dusk was the one who had gained his attention and she pointed at the forests below with a worried expression. Wanting to see what made her so jumpy, he looked towards where she was pointing and was rather shocked by what he saw.

In the middle of a large clearing, was a large sphere made completely out of shadows. The post-apocalyptic dragon had never seen anything quite like it before and he wanted to investigate it. He also had a feeling of dread and caution in his gut, but his curiosity got the better of him.

He dived down and landed a few yards away from the field of dark energy and the kids hopped off his back. They all just stared at the mass of shadow energy until Tamhigan turned to look at the three children.

"Hide." he ordered them with his usual deep yet quiet voice.

The two purple hatchlings and one shadow hatchling nodded in understanding before they obediently ran to one of the bushes and hid in the green foliage. Once they were completely hidden; the former human looked towards the shadow field and cautiously approached it.

Tamhigan felt like he was being watched as he drew closer and closer to the energy felid, but he pressed on. When he was close enough to the black sphere to touch it, he raised his metal paw up to do just that. When he tried to press his paw against the surface however, it just went through the shadows like mist.

Figuring that it was at least somewhat safe, the masked dragon slowly walked into the shadow sphere. He could barely see a thing inside however. There was just blackness and faint outlines of the tress that were within the field of shadows.

All of a sudden, the shadows within the sphere cleared away and the clearing was surrounded by a black border that blocked out the outside world. The masked dragon immediately noticed that he wasn't the only one in the strange shadow barrier.

Standing in the center of the clearing, was none other than Demodius, who was looking straight at Tamhigan. A cruel grin formed on his lips as he took a few steps towards the Native American dragon.

"Hello, Tamhigan. I think it's about time you and I met." the dark dragon greeted as he started into the masked dragon's black lenses with is blood red eyes.

The heavily scarred dragon didn't reply and took a few steps back. He actually felt himself bump into something and looked behind him to see that wall of shadows. He heard the other dragon chuckle and turned to face him again.

"Don't bother trying to run away, it'll only cost you precious time." Demodius explained as he came even closer.

The post-apocalyptic dragon just growled quietly as he adopted a combat stance and dark blue electricity formed between his serrated horns.

'He's a quiet one isn't he? Not even asking what's going on or why I trapped him.' the Assassin thought to himself as he looked at his target with interest.

Demodius was expecting to give a long speech about why he was doing this and what his goals were, but instead, all he got was dead silence. He also noticed how Tamhigan didn't look afraid at all, unlike the majority of people he hunts down. All this just made him fascinated with his target and he decided that he wouldn't kill him right away.

The Assassin adopted a combat stance as well with a dark grin plastered on his face and Tamhigan visibly tensed. He didn't care what this new threat wanted, all he knew was that this dragon created to kill him and trapped him in this shadow barrier. No words needed to be said because he knew he would find out the Assassin's goals later.

The intimidating dragon leapt forward all of a sudden and Tamhigan quickly barrel rolled out of the way. The masked dragon looked over at his attacker to see him jumping towards him again. He held up his biomechanical paw and let out a large blast of dark blue electricity, which blasted the Assassin away and onto the shadow barrier.

Tamhigan quickly jumped back to his feet just as his attacker did and they went back into their combat stances. He took this moment to get a good look at the Assassin and he could tell that those spikes covering his body and that tear shaped tailblade wasn't natural. He could also tell that this Assassin wasn't just some dragon wanting to kill him. He accurately assumed that this attacker was hired by the Guardians to kill or capture him. This Assassin also looked no older than himself.

The post-apocalyptic dragon brought out of his thoughts when he saw the dark dragon disappear into a cloud of shadows. He frantically looked around for the Assassin, but he was nowhere to be seen. All of a sudden, Demodius appeared behind him and tackled the masked dragon to the ground, pinning him down.

"Don't try to fight back. I'm stronger than you and you're trapped in my void of darkness." the Assassin said calmly with a sadistic grin.

That was when it clicked, Tamhigan could control shadows too. That meant that if he couldn't defeat this opponent, then he could easily flee instead. Not wanting to test his luck, the masked dragon gathered his elemental energy and phased away in a mist of black shadows, greatly surprising the Assassin.

"You can use shadows too!?" Demodius shouted with wide eyes that were filled with grim surprise. 'I thought he was just an electric dragon!' he thought to himself.

The dark dragon growled in frustration as he channeled his shadow energy into his eyes, which allowed him to see shadow dragons using their element. His blood red eyes scanned the area around him until he saw a dark blue aura of a dragon walking through the shadow barrier.

Tamhigan quickly went through the shadows until he was outside the barrier and he reappeared once he ceased the flow of dark energy. He looked over to the bush where the kids were hiding and his eyes widened when he saw Vind cornering them at a nearby boulder and Snö was looking directly at him with a smirk. To make matters worse, the shadow barrier went down and Demodius appeared right behind him.

"Didn't expect to see us?" the Ice Guardian questioned with a chuckled. "Just give up and we might spare your life." she ordered with a toothy grin.

Tamhigan remained silent and looked at all three of his opponents. He was afraid that they would use their superior numbers to their advantage and he had little options at the moment. He refused to surrender however and different ideas came to his head as he looked down at the ground, trying to make it look like he was considering her demands.

After a few extremely tense moments, the masked dragon looked up at Snö again. He took a deep breath and his wings drooped slightly, making her grin widen.

"You win." he said very quietly; almost too quiet to hear.

The three corrupted dragons heard him however and the Ice Guardian walked right up to him. She quickly glanced at Vind to make sure she had the kids in check, which she did, before looking at the younger dragon again.

"You'll be coming with us now. Don't worry about the kids, I'm sure one of the other Guardians will take care of them." she said cheerfully as her left forepaw reached into the satchel on her side and she took out an iron chocker with a chain attached to it.

Just when the Guardian was about to attach it to Tamhigan's neck, he lashed out and with his metal claws and sliced open her throat with a loud grunt. Snö's eyes widened as she dropped the choker and began choking on her own blood. She fell over onto her side and pressed her front paws on the three slice marks on her neck, trying desperately to stop the ongoing bleeding.

Demodius and Vind were too distracted by the gruesome scene that they didn't even notice Tamhigan disappear in a cloud of shadows. Not wanting to waste any time, he made his way over to the three cornered kids and snatched them up, making them disappear as well. Once the two corrupted dragons noticed his absence, he was already in the air with the kids on his back and he was flying away as fast as he could.

Shaking away her shock, Vind ran over to the fallen Guardian and grabbed one of her paws to check her pulse. The Guardian of Wind sighed heavily when she felt no pulse and she let go of the corpse.

"She's dead and Tamhigan got away." she informed the Assassin with a very grim tone of voice.

"You don't say?" Demodius said sarcastically with a snort. "Now who's gonna pay me?" he demanded grumpily, not caring about the death at all.

"You'll get your payment as soon as you do your damned job!" Vind snapped harshly, which was very much unlike her.

"I am doing my job. Tamhigan is just more resourceful than I thought. Plus, no one told me he could use the shadow element too." the unnatural looking dragon defended with a heavy frown.

"Whatever, kid. Let's just go after Tamhigan and kill him." Vind growled as she stretched her wings to take flight.

"No, we should inform the other Guardians what happened here." the black scaled dragon said sternly. "Besides, I need to think of a plan anyway." he added before he took flight and started flying in the opposite direction their target was heading.

Vind growled loudly in frustration and flew after Demodius to follow him, leaving Snö's dead body behind for the vultures.

* * *

Somewhere in the air over the forest, Tamhigan was still flying at high speeds with the three kids on his back. He didn't know if they were being chased or not, but he didn't' want to take any chances. He's been hunted way too many times in his life to take chances.

The masked dragon glanced over at the kids and sighed in relief when he saw that none of them were harmed and they looked more shaken than anything. Managuen seemed to notice his concern and nodded reassuringly. He nodded back before he looked ahead again.

'Don't worry, you're not being followed.' Dylan's voice assured in his head. 'I guess I should tell you the next story. Snö lived her whole life in a town called Blizzard and her family was very poor. Her family could never afford anything nice, but her parents still tried to give her the best childhood they could without spending too much money. Well, Snö was also known as one of the prettiest dragonesses in the whole town. She used her good looks to her advantage and coaxed people into climbing the social latter. She conned people out of their money and became obsessed with wealth. She completely forgot about her family and moved to the Temple to become a Guardian. As far as I know, her family is still struggling to get by in Blizzard and many people are in debt because of her." he explained grimly and a very faint sigh at the very end.

Tamhigan felt pity for her family, even though he didn't understand two economics worked. He was still trying to wrap his head around currency itself. The whole thought of using money to buy things instead of simply trading was just lost on him.

The heavily scarred dragon flew in silence after that. The three children peacefully fell asleep on his back after awhile and everything was rather calm. There were no fighting or unpredicted halts. By the time the sun began to go down in the horizon, Tamhigan started to look around for a place to camp out for the night. He searched for a clearing or a cave to hopefully get some rest. What he found however surprised him.

There was a small town or village in the distance within the forest. Tamhigan couldn't see what kind of buildings the settlement had or what kind of place it was, but it was better than nothing at least. He started to glide down to the ground so he wouldn't threaten anyone and he landed on the forest floor. He didn't see any paths toward the settlement, so he settled on simply walking in its direction.

As the post-apocalyptic dragon walked through the forest, the children on his back woke up from their slumber. Tabaldak yawned loudly as they all stretched and they looked around the forest around them.

"Hey Tamy, where are we?" Dusk asked curiously as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I dunno." Tamhigan answered quietly as he walked.

The kids weren't exactly thrilled with the answer, but they felt safe in their caretaker's presence and they trusted him. The sun was just barely over the horizon at this point and it was getting dark fast outside. They eventually came across a sign and the heavily scared dragon leaned his head close to it so he could try to read the words. Tabaldak so him struggling and read it aloud for everyone.

"The settlement, Portum, is ahead. Those who are aligned with any outside government aren't welcome here." the small purple dragon read for them all.

This actually comforted Tamhigan. That meant that the Guardians would at least think twice before entering the town. Even if they couldn't stay at this town ahead, it would at least buy them some time. Feeling much more confident than he did for the past few days, he walked past the sign and towards the town that could now be seen through the tree-lines.

**The town, Blizzard, is owned by Zach the Fire Dragon and Admiralkirk helped me with Snö's origin story.**


	14. Finally, Some Good News

**Kwai kwai everyone! To those of you who can voice act or are artists, Mizter Lamp needs some help with a project he's working on. With my permission, he wants to create an audio version of the Lightning series and post it on YouTube. Please, if you would like to help out with that, send him a PM, contact him on YouTube, or send him a message on Skype. I fully support his project and would love to see it come alive. Anyway, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 14: Finally, Some Good News

Tamhigan walked towards the small settlement with the three children on his back in silence. The sun was practically down by now and they had to rely the torches and lit windows in the distance to see where they were going.

The post-apocalyptic dragon kept on walking until they were officially within the town and all four of them looked around the settlement. The buildings were made out of a mixture of wood and stone that looked very Nordic in design. There were also poles here and there with a flame burning at the top, sort of like street lights.

It was getting rather late, so the citizens weren't on the street except for a small few, but there were a few guards here and there. The guards were dragons of all elements, who were wearing brown leather armor, and some appeared to have draconic flintlock pistols strapped to their sides. Tamhigan figured that they were meant for use if the dragons ran out of mana.

The masked dragon just kept his head down and wandered around the town. He was trying to find a place for him and the three kids to sleep. Eventually, Tabaldak sleepily pointed at a building that had "inn" written above the front door.

Tamhigan immediately walked over to the building and walked inside to see that they were in a decent looking tavern. The room they were in had a wooden floor, walls made from stone blocks, and there were plenty of tables and stools for customers. The place was also packed with dragons that were drinking with their friends. What caught Tamhigan and the kids' interest was that everyone was almost completely covered in tribal tattoos, something that was considered a taboo to have in the rest of the Realm.

Everyone stopped drinking all of a sudden and looked over at the new arrivals. They were shocked that the great Tamhigan himself was standing before them and there were two purple dragons on his back. They each decided to respectfully stay silent and they slowly continued what they were doing.

The post-apocalyptic dragon appreciated this and slowly walked up to the counter. The kids hopped off his back at this point and sat down on the stools to his right. Once he sat down as well, a dragoness walked out of the kitchen to man the counter.

This dragoness was about his age, possibly a little younger. She had pure white scales with wing membranes that were just as white. Her underbelly was black as night however and her black tailblade resembled a sharp barb. There were two ivory colored horns on her head and her eyes were pale white. Also, she was wearing a leather necklace with a medicine pouch attached to it. The necklace reminded the post-apocalyptic dragon of that a Native American healer or witch-doctor would wear. Unlike everyone else, she didn't have any tattoos at all.

"Hello, my name's Awan. I'll be your waitress for the day." the white dragoness greeted cheerfully, but her eyes widened when she noticed the mask and the purple dragons. "Oh… wow." she couldn't help, but say.

The masked dragon just waved it off with his biomechanical paw, but that just made her more surprised. Dusk saw that he was starting to get annoyed, so she spoke up.

"Can we have a place to sleep, please?" the little shadow dragoness asked politely with puppy dog eyes.

Awan snapped out of her shocked state from this and she smiled warmly.

"Sure. That'll be five gold coins." she told them as she held out her paw for the money.

Tamhigan stayed still however because he didn't have any money. She seemed to catch onto this and lowered her paw with a frown.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let people stay here without paying." the white scaled dragoness told them with an apologetic tone of voice.

"I'll pay for them." a male voice called out from behind Tamhigan and the kids, who turned around to see who spoke on their behalf.

The person who spoke was a large, muscular earth dragon with dark green scales. Like the dragoness, he too did not have any tattoos on his body. Both his underbelly and wing membranes were brown and his eyes were green. His tailblade resembled a circular mace with spikes sticking out of it. Also, the two brown horns on his head resembled those of a ram.

"Hey Torque!" Awan greeted the earth dragon cheerfully. "You're really willing to pay for them?" she asked with slight amazement.

"Sure, why not? You know how I help those who need it. I AM a guard after all." Torque replied with a smirk.

"Whatever you say, brother." the white scaled dragoness commented with a chuckle.

Tamhigan figured that they were siblings from that comment and that they weren't originally from this place because they didn't have any markings or tattoos like everyone. He and the kids watched the muscular earth dragon pay Awan the five gold coins and she gave him the key to the room, who in turn, gave it to Tamhigan. He was shocked by their kindness, but he didn't show it and simply nodded in thanks.

"Well, I gotta do my night rounds. I'll see you later sis." Torque told her sister before he looked at the heavily scarred dragon. "And I'd like to get to know you later." he said warmly before he turned around and left for his guard duty.

The post-apocalyptic dragon nodded in thanks to Awan before he and the kids stood up. The white scaled dragoness smiled warmly and waved in farewell to them as they walked over to the stairs.

"Welcome to Portum!" they heard her call cheerfully.

Tamhigan led the three kids up the stairs and to the room number that was etched into the key he was given. Once they reached the room, the masked dragon unlocked the door and opened it. The kids were the first to enter, and then he walked in. Not wanting anyone to bother them, he closed the door behind him and locked it.

The four dragons took this moment to look around the room they were in. It was built like the rest of the inn with wooden flooring and stone walls. There was a window that provided a decent view of the town of Portum. There were two sleeping pillows and a bookshelf with some books on it. Other than that, the room was pretty empty.

The Native American dragon took off his gas mask at this point and clipped it to his leather sling. He looked over the kids and noticed the two purple children looking at his face with wide eyes.

"Um… I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but what happened to your face?" Managuen asked hesitantly as she and her brother looked the nasty looking scar that was going diagonally across his face.

"Don't bother asking about it. He won't even tell me about it." Dusk said quickly as she walked over to one of the sleeping pillows and lay down.

"Oh… sorry if I made you sad or anything." the purple dragoness apologized as her wings dropped a little.

Tamhigan just waved it off with his metal paw and sat down on the other pillow. He watched as all the kids lay down on the other seating pillow and Tabaldak pulled the blanket over them all to keep warm. He didn't like that they had to sleep in one "bed," but that's the best he could do for now.

The post-apocalyptic dragon decided not to worry about these things at the moment and chose to get some rest. He laid down onto his stomach and rested his head on the warm pillow. He used his tail to lazily drape the blankets over him before he closed his eyes to sleep.

* * *

"HE KILLED SNÖ!?" Stöt screamed angrily at Vind and Demodius.

The remaining Guardians and assassin were in the Pool of Visions room to discuss the mission and the Electric Guardian wasn't taking the news well at all. Half of the Guardians were now dead and things grew tenser with each death.

"How the hell did this happen!? I thought you were gonna handle that!" the Guardian of Electricity yelled at the assassin they hired.

"I was misinformed. You never told me that he could use more than one element and he wasn't a politician like you usually hire me to kill." the intimidating dragon defended with a calm tone of voice.

"I don't want excuses. You serve us and you will do as we say without failure." Stöt scolded with a snarl.

This actually got the Assassin to chuckle, which confused all of the remaining Guardians. They looked at him with looks of confusion and he stared back at them with a mischievous grin on his muzzle

"I work for you because you pay me, that doesn't mean I'm loyal to you and I don't care if any of you die. You'd do well to remember that." Demodius informed them all with deathly seriousness at the end.

Stöt growled at his disloyalty, but said nothing and looked away. A tense silence befell the Pool of Visions room after that and no one said a word. One could easily hear a pin drop in the room if such an event occurred. Finally, Jord was the one to finally speak.

"Are you still gonna kill Tamhigan?" the Earth Guardian asked and he said the name with hatred.

The dark dragon's grin reappeared on his snout and looked directly at the overweight dragon.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him." he assured with his wicked sounding voice.

"I'm gonna go with you this time to make sure you do your damned job." Stöt spoke up, making the Assassin frown in frustration. "Rädsla, you'll be in charge until we get back." he told the Fear Guardian, who simply nodded.

"I can do this myself." Demodius commented with an angry expression, just barely keeping back a snarl of hate.

"No, I'm going with you. We'll leave first thing in the morning." the Guardian of Electricity replied sternly before he walked out of the room.

Everyone else left too until just Rädsla and Demodius remained. The dark Assassin was just about to leave when the Fear Guardian rested a paw on his shoulder to stop him.

"Despite what Stöt says, I would like you to bring Tamhigan to me alive." the Guardian of Fear requested with his wolfish grin.

The dark Assassin was confused by this and raised an eyebrow. This was a rather odd request considering his profession and he wanted to know the Guardian's intentions, who seemed to pick up on that.

"Let's just say… there's a lot that you don't understand about us Guardians." Rädsla explained vaguely before he released him and walked out of the room and toward his office.

Demodius frowned heavily from this. He really hated being left in the dark and he never liked these Guardians from the start because they seldom told him why he needed to kill someone or what they were doing to the prisoners they had. He promised himself that he would look into this later and walked out of the Pool of Visions room to get some rest.

* * *

The next morning in Portum, Tamhigan woke up to some strange pressure being applied to his back. He slowly opened his dark brown eyes and looked over his shoulder to see the three kids hopping on his back and giggling. It was at this point when he started to wonder if children were always this cheerful and obnoxious.

"C'mon Tamy! Wake up! Wake up!" Dusk cried with some chuckles as she bounced.

"Yeah! We want breakfast!" Managuen was next to speak up.

The Native American dragon just groaned again and he started to get up. The three kids quickly hopped off his back and watched him stretch before standing up completely. He unclipped his gas mask from his sling and securely placed it over his face.

Once that was done, he led the three children out of the room and down the stairs. It was still early in the morning, so the tavern was practically empty. The only other person there was Awan, who was looking out one of the open windows. She seemed to be in deep thought and her eyes were closed.

Tamhigan decided to see how she was doing and walked over to her as the children sat down at a nearby table. He could see her smile as he approached and he stopped when they were a few feet apart.

"Hello, Tamhigan. I heard you coming." the white scaled dragoness greeted, still keeping her eyes shut and remaining motionless.

The post-apocalyptic dragon figured that she heard his metal paw's loud footsteps or amplified breathing and didn't question her hearing. He was interested in what she was doing however and watched her silently. She didn't seem to mind his quiet nature and continued talking.

"You know… nature is so peaceful. Don't you agree?" Awan asked with a happy sigh at the end.

The masked dragon was a little taken aback by her strange behavior, but he didn't show it. It wasn't like she could see or hear his surprise anyway. The only thing that let her know that was still there was his breathing behind the respirators.

The two teenagers and three kids heard footsteps approaching them and everyone, but Awan, turned towards the stairs to see Torque. The earth dragon looked at everyone with a tired smile and approached Tamhigan and Awan.

"Hey is. You meditating again?" he greeted his sibling after a little yawn.

"Yes…" she confirmed with a peaceful smile.

"She does this every morning. Something about nature makes her happy." Torque explained to the black scaled dragon, who simply nodded as a result.

After a few moments of calm silence, Awan opened her white eyes again and looked at her brother and new friend. The two males noticed that she was out of her trance and sat down at the table with the kids.

"So, what can I get you all this morning?" the white scaled dragoness asked sweetly, ready to take their orders.

Tamhigan and the kids were silent, none of them used to ordering at a food establishment. The earth dragon seemed to take note of that and ordered for all of them.

"We'll all just have some bacon and eggs." he told her sister with a kind smile.

Awan nodded and went into the kitchen to tell the cook. After about a minute or two of waiting, she came out and gave everyone a plate of the ordered food. Once they all had a plate, she sat down next to her brother so she could talk to them.

Tamhigan reached behind his head and undid the straps on his gas mask. He then took off his mask at a slow pace and clipped it to his leather sling. His dark brown eyes traveled up at the two siblings to see that they were looking at him with wide eyes. He recalled that his face was never recorded in history and they were most likely shocked that their "great hero" was riddled with such horrible scars. He just ignored Away and Torque's stares and started eating.

"Damn, you must've kicked some serious butt in order to get those battle scars." the earth dragon commented, trying to be nice.

His sister actually face-palmed from this and groaned quietly. The gas mask wearing dragon wasn't bothered by it however and continued eating. The kids just giggled quietly and ate as well.

"What?" he asked with a confused expression.

"You're not supposed to bring that kind of stuff up just out of the blue like that." Awan scolded as she rolled her eyes.

Torque just snorted at this and they all ate their food. Tamhigan didn't say a word throughout the whole ordeal, but the kids, Awan, and Torque were chatting up a storm. They were talking about pointless little things like how they slept and other stuff like that. He never was one for such pleasantries and zoned out. He thought about his family and how they were doing in the Spirit Realm.

He was brought out of his train of thought when he heard Torque call his name, He noticed that everyone including himself had finished eating and Awan was collecting their plates.

"Were you meditating too?" the earth dragon joked as his sister took their plates and returned to the kitchen.

Not wanting to answer, the traumatized dragon just shook his head and placed his black gas mask over his face. Torque just shrugged and stood up to leave.

"I hope you guys don't mind, but I promised a friend of mine that I would help move into town. I suggest you guys go to the palace, so you guys can get a house or something. That is… if you want to stay here." the earth dragon told them before he walked out of the inn.

Once he left, Tamhigan looked at the three children to see that they stood up too and they were talking by the door. He knew that they couldn't keep running forever and staying at this place, Portum might be the safest course of action. It wasn't connected to the Guardians and it seemed like an independent settlement. He'd have to check at this palace however before he came to a final decision.

Now having a set goal in mind, the heavily scarred dragon stood up from his seat and walked up to the kids. He lowered his body so they could jump onto his back, which they did so without question. Once they were all on, he raised his body again and turned towards the door.

"Bye guys!" he heard Awan's voice, but he didn't turn back to look at her.

"Bye, Awan!" Managuen, Tabaldak, and Dusk replied in cheerful before their parental figure carried them out of the inn.

The sun was only just over the horizon and most of the townsfolk were still in bed when they got outside. This made Tamhigan feel more comfortable because that meant that he didn't' have to deal with any crowds or what he referred to as "brainless fans." The only ones, who were out, were a few guards. It kind of interested him how this appeared to be an all dragon settlement.

The masked dragon realized that he had no idea where palace was at that moment and groaned quietly behind his mask. He just aimlessly wandered around the town in search of it. The kids seemed to be interested in all the Nordic looking buildings and they pointed out almost every little detail they found interesting.

They eventually stumbled onto a building made completely out of stone at the edge of town. The building itself was made from stone blocks and there was a stone fence around the entire perimeter. Guards were patrolling the area, but the gate was left open for visitors like him to enter without much trouble.

There was also a flagpole with a flag flapping in the wind. The symbol on the flag surprised Tamhigan greatly however. It depicted a side view of black scaled dragon with a Native American headdress. The background was also bright blue.

The post-apocalyptic dragon didn't like to talk, but he made a mental note to bring up the town's symbol to whoever was in charge. He thought it would be impossible for anyone in the Realm to know what a Native American even was.

With a deep breath to calm himself, he walked through the gates and towards the decent sized building. The guards glanced at him occasionally, but they left him alone to his relief. It didn't take long for him to reach the large wooden doors and he looked up at them. He assumed that it was built so dragons of multiple sizes could enter without much trouble.

Tamhigan looked over his shoulder at the three children one last time before he walked into the Portum palace.

**Awan and Torque are owned by both me and Admiralkirk. He also uses Portum in his story, Rise like the Phoenix, but the town was originally my idea. Read his stories, they're good.**


	15. The Native Blood Still Lives

**Kwai kwai all you readers out there! For those of you who wish to be voice actors for the recorded version of this series, MizterLamp posted some links to his YouTube links along with his reviews. And in response to one of the anonymous reviews, I am a big fan of Markiplier. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 15: The Native Blood Still Lives

Tamhigan walked into the palace with the three kids on his back without any problems. The guards didn't bother him and the black scaled dragon carried the children into what looked like a throne room.

The room was smaller than they expected, but it was big enough to fit a good number of dragons at once. The wooden floor had the pelt of large bear near the entrance that was used as a rug and a blue rug made of cloth led to the throne. The walls were made from stone and the room was well lit with candles, keeping the room bright and welcoming. The throne was made from stone as well, but had a soft looking pillow on top of it to make it comfortable. There was also a dragoness on the throne, who was talking to another dragoness.

The dragoness on the throne was older than Tamhigan and she was the size of an adult dragon. She possessed a smooth and curvy body with midnight black scales. Her underbelly was red in color while her wing membranes were green. There were two silver horns on her head that curved slightly and her tail ended with a spiral shaped tailblade. Lastly, her body was covered in white tribal tattoos, greatly contrasting with her scales.

The dragoness' green eyes looked over at Tamhigan and she looked rather shocked to see him and the kids. The other dragoness looked as well, but she just smiled.

"I told you the great Tamhigan was still alive, Puritania." the smiling dragoness spoke casually.

"I see that, Valo." the dragoness on the throne, now known as Puritania, replied after she took a deep breath to get over her shock.

Valo was also older than Tamhigan and she was the size of an adult dragon, but she didn't look as old as Puritania. She had an attractive, curvy body with navy blue scales. Both her underbelly and wing membranes were crimson red and her whole body was covered in black tribal tattoos. She had eight black horns that stuck straight out and her black tailblade was in the shape of a fan. Also, her eyes were light brown in color.

Tamhigan was a little taken aback that this Valo character knew that they were coming. He bore a heavy frown behind his gas mask and the kids were a little bit weirded out by this as well. The kids hopped off of his back at this moment, but they made sure to stay very close to him because they were still cautious of other people.

"Could you all come closer please?" the black scaled dragoness requested as she waved them forward.

Hesitantly, the gas mask wearing dragon led the kids forward until they were right in front of the two dragonesses. They both donned warm smiles, which calmed the children, but their caretaker was still on edge. Warm smiles like that meant nothing back where he came from.

"I knew that you four were coming. It was foretold to me in a vision." Valo explained to them. "I am a medium." she added with a proud smile.

Neither Tamhigan nor the kids knew what that was and just gave her blank stares. She just chuckled and started speaking again.

"A medium is a person who can communicate with the dead and sense supernatural energy, such as ectoplasm." the blue scaled dragoness explained. "Your father told me that you were alive and heading this way." she said casually as she looked at the masked dragon.

The post-apocalyptic dragon was greatly tempted not to believe her, but her words sounded true and she didn't look like the lying type. He chose to believe her and silently nodded.

"Voltage told me of your silent nature." Valo commented with a chuckle.

"So, have you come to stay in our little town?" Puritania questioned curiously with a raised eyebrow.

The masked dragon wasn't too sure himself. He knew that it might be best if he stayed there, but he also wasn't sure he could trust the locals. Sure, Awan and Torque were nice to him, but they could easily turn on him with just a snap of a finger. He looked down and the two dragonesses could tell he was in deep thought, guessing that he was debating it.

"Perhaps that wasn't the best question." the black dragoness spoke up, gaining his attention. "Are you planning on staying here in Portum at least for a little while?" she asked after some thought.

Tamhigan almost immediately nodded, which kinda confused him himself. Puritania just smiled and nodded back. She was about to speak, but she was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.

"Mom! You'll never believe what I just saw!" a young dragonling shouted excitedly as he ran in, but he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he spotted the masked dragon.

Tamhigan noticed that this child looked a little bit like Puritania. The kid had dark gray scales that would've looked black in the dark and his eyes were green. His underbelly was red while his wing membranes were dark blue in color. There were two silver horns on his head that stuck straight up like Puritania's and his tailblade resembled a double bladed axe. He didn't have any tattoos and he looked to be about six years old.

"Yes, Vän? What is it?" Puritania asked as she looked at the child, who was presumably her son.

"I… I saw the great Tamhigan of legend and… now he's here." the little shadow dragonling explained with wide, excited eyes as he looked over at the masked dragon.

'There are other kids here? Maybe Managuen, Tabaldak, and I can make some friends!' Dusk thought to herself, but she and the two purple dragons stayed close to their caretaker just in case anything bad happened.

"You'll get a chance to talk to him later, Vän. Right now, we're dealing with adult stuff." Puritania told her son, who looked a little disappointed.

"Perhaps your children can play with Vän for the time being." Valo suggested to their guest.

Tamhigan felt like the kid wouldn't cause any harm and looked over at the three children behind him. He nodded towards Vän and they walked over to him. He took note that they seemed very shy to meet someone new, but he understood considering their pasts.

"Hi! My name is Vän! What are your names?" the little shadow dragon greeted cheerfully with a warm smile.

"Name's Dusk." the shadow dragoness answered quietly as her eyes wandered around the room.

"Managuen." the purple dragoness introduced with her head hung low.

"I'm Tabaldak." the purple dragon spoke softly as he looked away.

Vän could tell that they were all very shy, but that didn't discourage him and he continued to smile at them. He wanted to assure them that he was nice and that he just wanted to be friends with them.

"Wanna play with me outside?" he asked the other children.

The three kids looked over at Tamhigan to see if he was okay with it and he just waved them on. They looked back over at the younger shadow dragon and nodded. He seemed to brighten up even more from this and they followed him out of the palace and outside.

The masked dragon watched them leave before he turned to look at the two adult dragonesses again, who were both looking at him with bright smiles. He was confused as to why they were smiling and he tilted his head to show his confusion.

"We never expected you to be a father, much less a good one. We kinda expected you to be a tough brute." Puritania explained with a warm chuckle.

Tamhigan didn't respond to this, but he understood what she meant. In truth, he never expected this to happen either. He considered himself to be a monster, yet he was caring for three orphans. He was brought out of his train of thought when he heard one of the dragonesses clear their throat.

"I'm not sure if you're staying anywhere or not, but I'd like you to live with me and my mate until we can either get you a house or you move on to do whatever it is you have to do." Valo told him and it was obvious she wouldn't take no for an answer.

The heavily scarred dragon was curious with what she wanted, but he remained silent and simply nodded. He recalled what he wanted to ask at that moment and looked at the Portum flag above the throne. The two dragonesses followed his gaze and saw the flag depicting a dragon wearing a Native American headdress.

"Ah, you must want an explanation for that." Puritania figured with a chuckle. "Not long after you defeated Malefor all those centuries ago, your mother, Umbra wrote a book. It was about a different Realm that had a group of people called Native Americans. She went into detail about their culture and even a little bit about their various languages such as Abenaki, Mohawk, and Blackfoot. Most people thought that her work was pure fantasy, but our ancestors knew better." she started with a bright smile.

"Our ancestors didn't agree with the Guardians' ways of life and their beliefs, so they left." Valo continued. "Our ancestors left the Temple and searched the world for a place to call home. They eventually found this area and named it Portum, which, according to Umbra; means haven in Swedish. We take your mother's writings by heart here and base more than half of our culture on the Native Americans' ways of life. And judging by what your ancestors are telling me, you are half Native American yourself; the other half being dragon." she explained pridefully.

Tamhigan was greatly surprised by this new information and his eyes were as wide as dinner plates behind his mask. He found all of this rather ironic in a way. Back on his dying world called Earth, Native American culture was always repressed and was treated like one of the world's greatest taboos, yet it was openly practiced in a world full of dragons and fantasy creatures.

This explanation shed some lights as to why the flag had a headdress on it and why he saw some dreamcatchers hanging on some buildings. It also explained why most of the residence had tribal tattoos and he even noticed a few that some of the res residents had a feather tied to their horns. It was all enough to make him want to stay and protect his own culture.

"Does that explanation satisfy you?" Puritania questioned suddenly, bringing him out of his thoughts.

The masked dragon simply nodded and the two dragonesses smiled happily at him. They then turned to face one another.

"I'd best be going, Puritania. I need to open my shop and get back to work." Valo told the black dragoness on the throne before she looked over at Tamhigan again. "Would you like to come with me?" she asked sweetly.

The heavily scarred dragon thought a moment before he nodded. He didn't really know why he agreed with this course of action. Maybe he just wanted something to do or learn about the person he would be staying with.

Puritania nodded to them both and motioned for them to leave. Valo led the male dragon out of the palace and towards the gates. He looked over at the children playing and motioned for them to follow them.

"Bye Vän! We'll play again later!" Managuen called before she, Tabaldak, and Dusk ran up to their caretaker and stayed close to him.

"Bye guys!" their friend called back before he ran into the palace to be with his mother.

The unofficial family followed the spirit-whispering dragoness away from the palace and towards the market district. There were stores that sold general goods, weapons and armor, food, clothes, and other necessities. They approached a shop that had a sign saying "Bai Chi Services."

"Bai Chi means ghost in the Abenaki language." Valo informed them as she took out a key and unlocked the shop's front door.

"Wow, that's cool." Tabaldak commented quietly as he and the other children looked up at the sign.

The blue scaled dragoness chuckled at their amazement and opened the door for them. She led them inside the store and they took this moment to look around. Like the rest of the buildings they've seen, the walls were made from stone and the shop possessed a wooden floor. There were plenty of windows and candles to keep it well lit and there was a counter for Valo to handle customers.

There were shelves on the walls that displayed various alchemistical ingredients and tools used for alchemy. Some other shelves held various potions with labels that said things such as "cure vampirism" and "resist ice element." Lastly, there was a door behind the counter that Tamhigan assumed was a backroom. The dragoness who owned the shop seemed to notice his interest and smiled.

"Wanna see what's back there?" she asked them all.

"Yes, ma'am." Dusk answered politely and the rest of her unofficial family nodded in agreement.

Valo chuckled at their curiosity and led them over to the wooden door and into the backroom. This room was much darker than the main shop and there were no windows. The room was lit with a few glowing green gems a black rug covered most of the floor. There were seating pillows in a circle and they were surrounding what looked like a pool of green water.

"Is that a Pool of Visions!?" Tabaldak asked suddenly with great surprise.

"Why yes it is." the adult dragoness replied cheerfully as she wandered over to the pool and sat down on one of the seating pillows.

"But I thought the Temple was the only place with a Pool of Visions." Managuen recalled with a confused expression as she and the others sat down as well.

"The Temple had the only Pool of Visions for a very long time, but I was able to make another one here in Portum, thanks to the Spirits." Valo explained as she waved her paw over the water and the image of Geronimo appeared within the green water.

Tamhigan and the kids were greatly impressed by this as they looked at the famous tribal leader. It was as if Geronimo was looking directly at them with a warm smile before he faded away.

"There's something that I need to tell you all." the blue scaled dragoness spoke up and she looked over at the two purple dragons. "You two are far more significant than just the fact that you're purple dragons. Your names are actually Abenaki words. Tabaldak, your name translates to Great Mystery. Managuen, your name means Rainbow." she explained with a warm smile.

"Our names mean those things? Wow." Tabaldak replied as he and his sister looked at each other with wide eyes before looking at the medium again.

"Not only that, but you both have Native American blood in you. You're both descendents of Bedagi, Tamhigan's brother." Valo added and everyone, but Tamhigan gasped at this.

The masked dragon was greatly surprised by this more than anyone. This explained why Tabaldak's tailblade resembled his own, but he still didn't expect something like this. It made him feel more connected with the two children.

"So… we're related?" Managuen asked with amazement and the blue scaled dragoness nodded with a smile.

"How do you know this?" Tamhigan asked quietly, speaking for the first time in a long while.

The spirit-whispering dragoness was a little surprised that he spoke, but she answered him regardless.

"Bedagi's spirit told me just now." she explained as an image of said dragon appeared in the Pool of Visions, but he soon faded back into the water.

The two purple dragons smiled happily before they hugged their ancestor that rescued them in the forest. Dusk was happy for the reunited family, but she felt a little bad because her only family were assholes to her and very abusive. Valo saw her depression and looked over at the child.

"Don't think that I've forgotten you. You're a descendent of Pelko, who was Voltage's best friend; and Voltage was Tamhigan's father." she told the child, who's eyes widened in amazement from this.

"Wow…" Dusk spoke in total awe.

Valo looked at them all with a warm smile, happy that she could make them feel better about themselves. She watched as the young shadow dragoness joined in on the hug with Tamhigan, Managuen, and Tabaldak. Once they pulled away from their group hug, she cleared her throat to speak.

"Would any of you like a drink?" the blue scaled dragoness asked as she motioned towards the cups and pitcher of water on the other side of the room.

"Yes, please." the three children answered politely in unison while Tamhigan simply nodded.

Valo nodded back and she took a deep breath while she closed her eyes. She reopened them, but her eyes were glowing bright blue with a faded mist leaking out of her eye sockets. That same blue mist appeared around the cups and pitcher before the objects began floating towards the group.

Tamhigan and the two children watched with honest amazement as the cups floated in front of them and the pitcher poured water into them seemingly by themselves. Once filled, the cups floated into their open paws and the pitcher was set down on the table in the corner of the room. Valo's eyes stopped glowing and the blue mist dissimilated. She looked over at the children's shocked expressions and chuckled.

"I see you've never seen a Psi Dragon before." the blue scaled dragoness figured accurately."Unlike most other dragons, I don't have any elements, but like you know, I was given the gift of being a medium. Well, not only can I detect ectoplasm from the Spirits, I can also form psychic energy and use it for various purposes. I can perform telekinesis, telepathy, and various other things." she explained with a proud smile.

Before any of them could reply to this, her eyes started glowing again and the blue mist appeared around Tamhigan's head. He was about to panic, but he felt a wave of what he could only describe as calmness envelope him, most likely from Valo herself. He felt the mask's straps behind his head loosen before the gas mask floated off of his face and was gently placed on the floor in front of him.

"I'm sorry for that, but you can't drink water when your face is covered." Valo apologized with a sheepish chuckle as her eyes returned to their light brown color.

The post-apocalyptic dragon just nodded with an awkward expression and took a sip of his water. The kids followed his example and drank their water as well. The blue scaled dragoness poured herself a glass when she was displaying her powers, so she took a sip as well.

"Those powers are cool." Tabaldak praised shyly with a smile.

"Thank you. It makes me smile when people appreciate my abilities." Valo responded with a bright smile that seemed to never fade.

She then stood up after she finished her glass and she started to walk towards the door that led to the main room.

"I need to get to work. You four can either stay here or go around town. Just make sure to meet me back here once the sun touches the horizon." the supernatural dragoness informed them before she walked into the other room.

Tamhigan figured that it would be best to tell Torque and Awan that he was gonna be staying with Valo from now on. He grabbed his gas mask and securely put it on over his face before he stood up. The children seemed to notice that it was time to leave and they got up as well. They then walked towards the door to the main room and out of the shop.

"Bye Valo." Managuen said politely as they passed the ghost-whispering dragoness.

"Goodbye. I'll see you later today." she replied warmly before they left and shut the door behind them.

Valo was really happy for the family. She could tell that they were all very depressed until she told them of their ancestry. Tamhigan still seemed to be very saddened and upset, so she promised herself that she would do everything in her power to help him get over his depression.


	16. Fight Against Oppression

**Kwai kwai everyone! Quite a bit of stuff happened in the last chapter and more stuff is coming your way. I've got the rest of this story mapped out and I know exactly what I want to do. Things have been pretty hectic recently with all the messages and writing I have to do for other projects, but I'll still keep writing this story. I think I should say this because a decent amount of people have asked me this. If you ask for my help for a story that you're working on, please don't be offended if I say no. I already have very little time to just sit down and relax these days and I'm just one guy. I can't write four stories at once, PM with a dozen authors, do my artwork and draw book covers, and do all my schoolwork. I'm flattered that you guys want my help, but I can only do so much. I can't help you guys write stories or be your beta readers, but feel free to ask my opinions about things, just don't expect an immediate response. This is getting pretty long now, so I'll just start the chapter now. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 16: Fight Against Oppression

It was now midmorning in Portum and more people were out to go to work. Tamhigan led the three children out of Valo's shop and towards the inn that they stayed at the night before. Their plan was to tell Awan that they no longer needed a room and they were going to return the room key.

It didn't take long for them to reach the inn and the post-apocalyptic dragon led the children inside. There were a few dragons there eating their breakfast, but the place was still pretty empty; most likely because the townsfolk were already at their jobs.

Awan could be seen talking with one of the guards and they walked up to the two dragons.

"I'm telling you Ramallah, your mate is right. Tamhigan is here in Portum." Awan told the guard with a big smile.

The guard, now known as Ramallah, was muscular with green scales and he looked to be the same age as Valo. His wing membranes and underbelly were both light brown and his eyes were light green. Four club-like horns protruded from his head and his brown tailblade resembled a spiked club or mace. Lastly, he was covered in crimson red tattoos and he had a draconic flintlock pistol strapped to his side.

"It just seems crazy to me. Tamhigan was pronounced dead centuries ago." the earth dragon replied before he took a sip of his beer that was most likely served to him.

"Well, you better start believing it. Look behind you." the wind dragoness said with a smirk.

The guard looked at her with a confused expression before he looked over his shoulder to see none other than Tamhigan himself. He gasped at the site of the masked dragon and quickly stood up.

"By the Ancestors, it's true! You're really here!" he exclaimed with an excited smile. "I'm Ramallah, by the way." he introduced a little more calmly, trying not to embarrass himself in front of everyone.

The heavily scarred dragon simply nodded in response and motioned for the kids to sit down at one of the nearby tables so he could keep an eye on them, yet have some space with Awan and Ramallah. Dusk, Managuen, and Tabaldak did as their caretaker wished and sat down at a table that was in his line of sight.

"So, have you talked to Puritania at the palace?" Awan asked curiously as she watched the black scaled dragon sit next to her earth dragon friend.

"Yes… I'm to live with Valo now…" Tamhigan answered quietly and he held up the key to his room with his biomechanical paw.

"Oh, okay. I'll just tell Torque the next time I see him." the white scaled dragoness replied as she slowly reached for the key and pulled away quickly one she grabbed it.

It wasn't that Awan didn't like him; it's just that the metal paw he had unnerved her. She was used to seeing natural limbs and being one with nature. The industrial look of his paw sent a shiver down her spine whenever she looked at it. Hell, his whole look creeped her out a little. It also weirded her out that his tailblade looked to be made out of steel or some kind of metal. Most tail blades and horns were made from bones, but it was very strange to see that it was metal instead.

"Hey Awan, are you meditating again?" Ramallah asked suddenly as he waved his paw in front of her face.

"Huh? What?" she asked as she shook her head and blinked a couple times.

"You were spacing out again." the guard informed her before he took a swig from his beer bottle.

"Oh… sorry." the white scaled dragoness apologized with a slight blush of embarrassment. "I'd best get back to work." she told the two males before she walked off to one of the tables.

"Okay. Hey Tamhigan, do you like Awan?" the earth dragon asked the former human after he turned to face him.

"She is a nice person." the post-apocalyptic dragon stated emotionlessly as he looked at him as well, face to mask.

"No, not like that. Do you have a crush on her or have any feelings like that?" Ramallah specified in a way so he could understand.

"No." Tamhigan answered quickly and honestly.

"Okay, okay. No need to get snappy about it." the earth dragon replied with a frown. "I was just curious." he mumbled before he took another sip of his drink.

They both sat in silence for awhile and Tamhigan occasionally glanced at the kids, who were talking to one another at the table. He felt that it was his new purpose in life to protect them. He was brought out of his thought process however when Ramallah cleared his throat to speak.

"So, you're gonna be staying with me and my mate, Valo, huh?" he asked with a warm smile.

Tamhigan was a little surprised by this. He knew that he had to stay with her, but he had no idea that she and this guy he just met were mates.

"Surprised? Don't worry, we're good company." the earth dragon assured with a chuckle.

Tamhigan just nodded and stood up. When Ramallah looked at him with a confused expression, he just nodded to the kids, wordlessly explaining that he wanted to spend some time with them. The guard just nodded and he walked over to the kids table. They all looked up at him with a smile and he sat down. He had a feeling that they were gonna stay at that town for a long while.

* * *

In the clearing were Snö was killed the day before, Demodius and Stöt were blankly staring at the Ice Guardians' corpse. They left to track down Tamhigan earlier that morning and they figured that it would be best to start the search at the murder sight.

By the looks on their faces, neither of them were very pleased to be there. Whether it be because of the Guardians' death, that they couldn't find Tamhigan, or the fact that they had to work together was unknown. It's quite possible that it was a mixture of the three.

"Do you have any idea where he could've run off to?" the Guardian of Electricity questioned with an impatient sounding voice.

"I'm not entirely sure. I saw him fly in the direction the last time I was here." the Assassin replied as he nodded towards where Tamhigan fled after he killed Snö.

"Then I guess we'll head that way until we find the bastard." Stöt figured with a shrug and took flight with a mighty flap of his wings.

Demodius was a little annoyed that the Guardian just took off without warning, but he took flight as well. Together, they flew through the partly cloudy sky and over the Great Forest without stopping. They eventually spotted a town in the distance, which confused them. They turned to face each other with questionable expressions.

"Have you ever seen that place before?" the black dragon asked first.

"No… I didn't even know that any settlements existed around here." Stöt admitted and they turned back to look at the town.

They didn't know what that place was, but they both assumed that Tamhigan would most likely try to hide there. They flew towards the town and landed around what they presumed was the market district. Almost as soon as they landed however, everyone in the town looked at Stöt with dark glares, but he ignored them.

"Do any of you people know where the dragon known as Tamhigan is or if you've heard where he might be?" the Electric Guardian spoke up with a commanding voice.

"Go fuck yourself, Guardian! We don't want your kind here!" an ice dragon with white tribal tattoos spoke up with a snarl.

The Guardian of Electricity looked Demodius and simply nodded. The intimidating dragon nodded back before he tackled the ice dragon to the ground and roughly stabbed into his neck. Everyone gasped in surprise from the sudden violence and took a step back.

"I'll ask again. Where is Tamhigan!?" Stöt yelled loudly with much more power than before.

Before anyone could do anything, a dragon without tribal tattoos ran in front of them with a toothy frown. This dragon had blood red scales covering his body and three scars were going across his face. He had a white underbelly and his two horns somewhat resembled Spyro's. His wing membranes were fiery red and his snout was slightly longer than most dragons' snouts, but it wasn't so long that it looked weird. His eyes were red and his tail ended with a triangle shaped barb.

"Well, well, Kirk. I didn't think I'd see you here at this place." Demodius said with a dark chuckle as he stepped forward.

The dragon, now known as Kirk, growled at the dark dragon and adopted a combat stance.

"Leave this place, now!" the fire dragon ordered with a stomp of his foot.

* * *

Back in the inn, everyone was pressed against the windows and watching the imminent fight. Tabaldak, Managuen, and Dusk clinged to their caretaker as they watched the two corrupt dragons grinning at Kirk.

"Someone needs to do something." Awan said fearfully and many others nodded in agreement.

'I can't go and help. I need to keep these people safe.' Ramallah thought to himself with a heavy frown as he stood on three legs and held his flintlock pistol with his free paw.

Tamhigan looked over at the armed earth dragon and nudged the children over to him.

"Protect them." the post-apocalyptic dragon requested, but it sounded more like an order.

Ramallah didn't question it and nodded as the children stayed close to the earth dragon, trusting their caretaker's judgment. He looked at them and nodded assuringly before he walked over to the door. One of the dragons in the tavern opened the door for him. The heavily scared dragon walked out of the inn with his head down and he made his way over to Stöt, Demodius, and Kirk, who were all looking at him at this point.

"The great Tamhigan…" the fire dragon whispered with wide eyes, not expecting to see a legend like him in the flesh.

"Ah, there you are. You're in a lot of trouble for killing over half the guardians. You're punishment will be death." the Electric Guardian told the new arrival with an evil frown.

The Native American dragon didn't respond and dark blue electricity formed between his serrated horns. Realizing that he was there to help him, Kirk walked over to his side and hot smoke poured out of his nostrils.

"I'll take Kirk. I have more experience fighting him." Demodius told the Guardian as he rolled his shoulders and lowered himself into a combat stance.

Stöt nodded and glared straight at the masked dragon. The citizens had taken shelter in their homes at this point and they all watched the four dragons who were just staring at each other at the moment. They had no idea who would win this fight, but the Portum guards were at the ready just in case the Assassin and Guardian proved to be too much for their protectors.

* * *

Stöt rushed forward all of a sudden as bright yellow electricity zapped out of his scales and trailed behind him. Tamhigan noticed that the Guardian was moving at an incredibly fast speed, so he used his own electric element to speedily jump out of the way.

The masked dragon realized that the Guardian of Electricity used his element to his advantage an increased his speed. There was no way that the former human could kill this guy without using electricity to increase his own speed. The only problem to this was that this technique required a lot of mana to use and the Guardian most likely had more mana than him because of his many years of training.

The odds were against Tamhigan, but he refused to give up and die just like that. Just like his fight with Mörker, he realized that he would have to rely on his mind and strategizing skills for this fight. If Stöt relied on speed and his element for this battle, then there was a strong possibility that he wouldn't do so well against a physical attack.

Tamhigan's eyes hardened behind his mask as both he and the Guardian quickly zipped around the area in order to attempt to get a hit on the other, both leaving electrical trails around them. Stöt stopped suddenly and shot a bolt of electricity at the former human, but he just lowered his head and absorbed the energy with his horns like an energy conductor.

The Guardian of Electricity growled in frustration before he charged straight towards the masked dragon he quickly leapt forward and slashed the adult dragon all the way down his side with the metal claws.

"AAHHHH! YOU FUCKER!" Stöt screamed in pain before he quickly moved away with his electric element.

His reaction to the attack confirmed Tamhigan's theory. He only fought with his element and didn't really rely on physical strength or attacks. Now all he needed to do was find a safe way to get close in order to do some more damage.

Before he could finish his thought, Stöt quickly inhaled before he exhaled what looked like a wall of electricity. The masked dragon was about to use his shadow powers to encase himself in black mist, but he wasn't fast enough and took the full brunt of the electrical wall.

"RUUGGHH!" Tamhigan grunted in pain as he fell to the ground with a thump.

The Electric Guardian smirked and shot another electrical bolt at the downed dragon, but he quickly raised his head and absorbed the energy with his serrated horns, increasing his own mana. The Guardian snorted before he inhaled to perform another electric wall attack, but the post-apocalyptic dragon quickly stood up and used his own electricity to quickly run up to the yellow scaled dragon.

Once he was close, the masked dragon used the momentum of the charge to tackle the larger dragon to the ground with a loud grunt from both of them. He then raised his tomahawk tailblade over his head and brought it down with all of his might.

"GAAAHHH!" Stöt gasped loudly with a loud gurgle as his throat was chopped open and he firmly placed his paws over his neck in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding.

Tamhigan donned an emotionless expression behind his mask as he slowly got off the larger dragon and stared down at him. The Electric Guardian gurgled and chocked loudly with wide eyes as he drowned in his own blood. It wasn't too long before the life faded from his yellow eyes and he went limp on the ground.

A pool of red blood formed under Stöt's neck and he was nothing more than a corpse. The black scaled dragon panted heavily as he looked down at the dead body and he looked over to see Kirk panting as well and both he and Torque were walking up to him.

* * *

(A few minutes earlier.)

Kirk stared at Demodius with an angry frown before he inhaled deeply and exhaled a torrent of flames. The shadow dragon quickly encased himself in a black mist and the fire painlessly passed through him. He then leapt into the fire dragon's shadow and appeared behind him.

"You'll have to do better than that." the Assassin mocked with a dark chuckle and he raised his right forepaw to strike.

Kirk gasped in surprise when he noticed the dark dragon and whipped around to try to attack, but he was too slow. The black scaled dragon sliced the fire dragon's chest, creating three bloody gashes, and raised his paw again.

Thinking quickly, the fire dragon focused on his energy and something strange happened. His blood red scales faded to white and soon turned to golden yellow along with his eyes. Once the change was complete, yellow electricity sparked on his scales and he quickly smacked the dark dragon away with his tail. Landing with a grunt, Demodius quickly stood up and he glared at the now electric dragon.

"You're not gonna beat me that easily, you damned chameleon." the dark dragon growled before he encased himself in shadows.

Kirk quickly turned his scales from bright yellow to earth green and he waited for his opponent to reappear. He gasped loudly however when he felt a burning pain on his back and he fell to the ground. He quickly looked above him to see the Assassin had jumped on top of him and was pinning him down with those serrated claws of his.

Demodius grinned sadistically as he twisted his claws in the wound and the dragon under him hissed in pain. He slowly lowered his head next to the earth dragon's and he cackled.

"I'm gonna make you suffer beyond belief before I kill you. Then I'll torture you mate to death and take your children. And once all that is done, I'll kill Tamhigan and take those brats he's carrying around." the Assassin whispered in Kirk's earhole.

All of a sudden, there was a loud boom from a pistol and Demodius screamed in pain as he fell off Kirk. The earth dragon slowly looked over his enemy to see a heavily bleeding bullet hole in his shoulder before he looked towards the source of the gunshot to see Torque standing out in the open with a smoking flintlock pistol.

"Leave, Demodius. You aren't welcome here." the armed guard ordered with a heavy frown.

The Assassin growled as he slowly stood up and he applied pressure to the bullet wound with one of his paws. He looked over at the other fight to see Tamhigan chop Stöt's throat open. He released a throaty growled before he faded away into the shadows and snuck out of the town.

Once Demodius was gone for good, Torque holstered his draconic firearm and ran over to Kirk. He watched in amazement as his friend's scales went from an earthy green, back to blood red.

"Kirk… are you okay?" the earth dragon asked worriedly as he carefully helped him up to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need some healing crystals, is all." the fire dragon assured with a nod. "Thanks for helping me out. I owe you one." he added with a small smile.

Torque smiled as well and they looked over at Tamhigan to see that he had one his fight and that Stöt was lying dead in the middle of the street. They decided that it would be best to see how he was holding up and walked over to him. Unknown to them all, Demodius was watching them all in the distance.

**The character, Kirk, is owned by Admiralkirk.**


	17. Unfamiliar Pleasantries

**Kwai kwai nidobak! I would like to let you all know that I didn't forget to put Stöt's back story. I just wanted to put it in this chapter instead. I'd also like to answer a few questions that anonymous reviewers posted. I don't watch television; therefore I've never seen Star Trek or Supernatural. I honestly don't like TV that much because I find it boring most of the time. I find a lot of movies to be boring too actually. There are always a few special exceptions though. Look at my profile to see the things I like if you guys are really that interested. Anyway, that's enough of that for now. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 17: Unfamiliar Pleasantries

Everyone came out of the safety of their homes once the battle was over and they looked at the dead Electric Guardian in the middle of the street. Most of the guards came out as well to make sure that everyone was alright and Puritania herself was at the scene so she could check on her people.

As this all happened, Kirk and Torque walked over to Tamhigan, who was still panting slightly from his brutal fight earlier. He looked over at the two dragons with a frown behind his mask. He recognized the earth dragon, but the fire dragon was foreign to him.

"You must be Tamhigan; the guy I heard so much about. Name's Kirk." the blood red scaled dragon greeted with a warm smile.

The post-apocalyptic dragon just nodded in greeting before he started to walk back to the inn without a word. Kirk was a little surprised by this action and looked over to Torque.

"He's nothing like what the legends describe him as." the earth dragon explained before they followed the heavily scarred dragon.

"Kirk!" a female voice yelled from amongst the crowd.

Kirk, Torque, and Tamhigan stopped walking and turned around to see an ice dragoness and two children behind her run up to the group of three. The dragoness and her two children ran right up to Kirk and they almost tackled him into a group hug.

Tamhigan took this moment to carefully analyze these new arrivals. The ice dragoness processed light blue scales that matched her eyes, along with a snowy white underbelly and wing membranes. Four white horns were planted on her head and they curved slightly. Lastly, her tailblade resembled Cynder's, except the whole part was shaped like a heart.

"Hey Glacia. It's good to see you and the kids." Kirk greeted with a smile as he held his family close.

"Wow, daddy! You and the great Tamhigan fought side-by-by side!" one of the children, who was a fire dragoness, cried cheerfully with a big smile.

"It's good to see you too, Flare." her father said with a chuckle as he ruffled the top of her head as if she had hair.

Flare had a slender, small body with red scales and orange eyes. Both her underbelly and wing membranes were orange and her horns reminded Tamhigan of Spyro's. She also seemed to be two or three years of age.

"Sicle, are you okay?" Kirk asked softly as he looked at the other child, who was an ice dragon.

Sicle seemed to be the same age as Flare. He had blue scales and his underbelly and wing membranes were white, but they had a slightly blue tinge to them. Two icicle looking horns crowned his head and a tail barb that resembled Kirk's stuck out at the end of his tail.

The little ice dragon just nodded and they all pulled away from their family hug, which brought a smile to Torque's face.

"Oh, Tamhigan. This is my family. Glacia, Sicle, and Flare." the fire dragon introduced with a smile

The heavily scarred dragon simply nodded in greeting. He noticed that each one of them had their own defining features. Kirk appeared to be the kind, noble type, while Glacia seemed to be the kind of person to be a little shy, but kind all the same. Flare was practically bouncing with excitement as she looked up at him, yet Sicle was hiding behind his family, obviously very shy.

They all heard footsteps approaching them and turned towards the noise to see Puritania rushing up to them. She looked like she was worried at first, but she visibly relaxed when she saw them.

"Are you all alright?" the black dragoness asked with a concerned tone of voice. "I saw the whole thing." she added quickly.

"We're fine. Tamhigan killed Stöt and Demodius fled." Torque informed her with a professional tone of voice.

Puritania sighed in relief and nodded in understanding. She looked over at the Guardian's dead body and saw that a few guards were already moving the corpse to a less populated location. She couldn't say she was happy though. It was never easy to see someone get killed, despite what he or she did in their lifetime. The only reason why she wasn't going to punish Tamhigan was because it was in self defense, and that she didn't mind too much.

"Thanks for informing me, but you don't have to be so formal with me. We're friends. All of us." the black scaled dragoness replied with a warm smile.

The earth dragon smiled back and nodded in understanding. He always respected her for her mentality. She never considered herself above others despite the fact that she was in charge of Portum.

"You all should probably go to the inn for awhile. Tamhigan's adopted children are there." Puritania suggested before she walked over to the gathering crowd to assure them that everything was alright.

Kirk and his family were actually a little bit surprised that Tamhigan was looking after children considering his actions that they've seen, but they decided not to question it. They all followed the post-apocalyptic dragon into the inn and his adopted children immediately ran up to him and hugged his front legs.

"Tamy! You're okay!" Dusk cried happily with a relieved smile.

"You're the strongest dragon in the world!" Tabaldak cheered and Managuen nodded in agreement.

Everyone in the inn smiled at the new family. Despite the fact that Tamhigan was probably the second most intimidating dragon they've ever seen, the first being Demodius, it was a sweet site.

The three kids eventually pulled away from the hug and they all sat down at one of the tables. Kirk and his family decided to sit across from them. This made Tamhigan silently wonder what they wanted from him. Even though they fought along side each other, he still wasn't sure if he could trust most of the people in the town including the fire dragon in front of him. His look of concern didn't show however because of his gas mask, which allowed his amplified breaths to escape the respirator.

"I'm guessing that you have a lot of questions about what happened back there and how I knew Demodius." Kirk spoke up as he draped a wing over Glacia's shoulder.

The masked dragon nodded, showing that he was interested, but kept silent like he always did. The other family quickly realized that he was the silent type and the fire dragon spoke up again.

"Before Glacia and I had kids and were together, we lived in a quiet little village to the south of here. We had parents… friends, but then Demodius came. I know now that he was hired by the Guardians to destroy our village because we refused to pay the taxes they afflicted onto us. Demodius just arrived in the middle of the night and… started killing everyone. Glacia and I were able to escape with our lives, but we didn't meet up with each other until we made it to Warfang, which was a corrupt city in itself." Kirk explained with a gloomy tone of voice.

Glacia and her children lowered their heads to respect the dead while Tabaldak, Managuen, and Dusk had looks of pity on their faces. Tamhigan simply stared at Kirk however, completely unmoved from the story. While he understood their sadness, he just felt nothing from it. He supposed that growing up in a world that was already dead did that to people. Kirk noticed that he didn't look sad or pitiful, or anything, but chose not to come to conclusions and scold him on the spot.

"How did you get here?" Managuen asked quietly and with obvious shyness.

"We couldn't stand living in Warfang anymore, so we left." Glacia answered this time. "We wandered around the Realms for about a month until we came across Portum. We actually arrived about a week ago." she further explained.

"My sister and I left Warfang too. Tamy rescued us a few days ago." Tabaldak said quietly and he scooted closer to his caretaker.

"Really? What are your names?" Kirk asked the children, wanting to know more about them.

"My name is Dusk." the little shadow dragoness answered, being the most talkative of the group and that wasn't saying much.

"I'm Managuen… and this is my brother, Tabaldak." the purple dragoness introduced and the male purple dragon gave a slight wave.

'Shy kids. They kinda remind me of Sicle in some ways. I'll have to see if they can be friends.' Kirk thought to himself.

"So, this 'Demodius' works for the Guardians, eh?" Ramallah asked as he walked up to the younger dragons.

"Yeah, he's their Assassin from what I've learned. I wouldn't say that he's loyal to them though." Kirk replied with a nod of confirmation.

"Hmm… What did Stöt mean by you killing half of the Guardians?" the earth dragon questioned as he looked over at Tamhigan.

The post-apocalyptic remained silent and didn't reply. He didn't even bother to look at the older dragon.

"Look, I'm not gonna judge you. I just need to know what we're dealing with." the guard persisted gently yet sternly.

"…I killed five Guardians." the Native American dragon answered quietly after a long silence and a cold chill ran up everyone's shoulders.

This actually surprised everyone who was listening. They knew that Tamhigan was supposed to be a tough dragon, but they had no idea that he could take down over half the Guardians by himself.

"So, Stöt is… gone. Which others did you take care of?" Glacia asked almost hesitantly, starting to feel fear towards the black scaled dragon.

"Mörker, Brand, Orm, and Snö." Dusk answered quickly so her caretaker wouldn't have to.

"Whoa… you're a lot tougher than the legends give you credit for." Kirk praised with a shocked tone of voice and it sounded like he was very unnerved. 'I'll have to talk to him about this later.' he thought to himself.

Tamhigan could tell that they didn't approve of his actions, but he just didn't care. He didn't care what others thought of him and he didn't care about his fame. The only thing that was keeping him from killing himself was Tabaldak, Managuen, and Dusk. Something in the back of his head told him that these people wouldn't let go of the fact that he killed the Guardians however.

"Thanks for the information. I'll make sure to tell Puritania this as soon as I get the chance." Ramallah said he walked away, obviously not approving his actions either.

"Dad, can you tell us how you defeated the bad guys just now?" Sicle asked quietly as he looked up at his father and he wanted to think of something else. "Mom wouldn't let us watch." he added while Flare nodded.

Their father chuckled from this and saw that Tamhigan's adopted children were also curious. He began to explain the child friendly version of the story and Glacia listened in as well. The post-apocalyptic dragon just zoned out however and became lost in his own tragic mind.

'Wanna hear Stöt's origin story now that you're not busy with these guys?' Dylan's voice spoke in Tamhigan's head. 'Stöt didn't have an easy upbringing. Sure he was wealthy, but his parents were rather abusive. They never allowed him to do anything for himself and he'd be punished harshly if he disobeyed them. Stöt yearned to control his own life and went into politics once he finally left home. He became power hungry because of his childhood and had to be in charge of everything. This guy also covered up all the murders that the Guardians committed.' the soldier explained before his voice faded away back to the Realm of Spirits.

This explanation made masked dragon think about a lot of things. He's killed five out of the eight Guardians and their most valuable assets were now gone. The only ones remaining were Jord, Vind, and Rädsla. He wasn't entirely sure how he was gonna kill them while he stayed in Portum. It was possible that he could leave the children with Kirk or Valo while he took out the remaining Guardians, but he wanted to wait a little bit before he made a final decision first.

The heavily scarred dragon was brought out of his train of thought he saw a red paw being waved in front of his masked face. He looked up to see that Kirk was trying to get his attention.

"Yo, Tamhigan. You okay?" the fire dragon asked as he lowered his paw. "You were zoning out." he explained.

The post-apocalyptic dragon simply nodded and looked over at the three children he was caring for. They were listening to Flare talk about whatever came to her mind and he watched them with interest. He never really had a childhood himself, so it interested him to see what they were doing.

"You're spacing out again." Kirk spoke up with a slight chuckle, causing the black scaled dragon to look at him and Glacia.

Tamhigan realized that he'd have to respond to whatever questions they had for him because Dusk was talking with Kirk's kids, so he paid attention to what they had to say this time.

"You know, you're so famous throughout the Realms, yet no one knows anything about you. Tell us something about yourself." Glacia requested with a kind smile.

"…My life isn't exactly happy." Tamhigan said quietly as he looked away and out the window.

At first, Kirk and his mate were confused by this, but then they noticed his several scars covering his body and they almost gasped when they saw his mechanical paw. They chose not to press on the subject and quickly thought of something else to talk about.

"What do you think of Portum?" the ice dragoness asked politely, choosing her words carefully.

The post-apocalyptic dragon looked at them again and thought the question over for a few moments. They were about to move on to another topic when he didn't answer, but he spoke up at the last second.

"Its peaceful." he answered quietly and with simplicity.

"Yeah, this place is pretty peaceful. It's a lot better than most places these days." Kirk replied with a nod of agreement.

Their conversation was interrupted when Awan walked over and everyone, but Tamhigan smiled. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see her; it was just that he still wasn't sure if he could trust any of them yet and he didn't smile much to begin with.

"Hey guys. Wanna get some lunch?" the white scaled dragoness asked the two families with a smile. "The owner said you could all have one free meal for protecting the town." she informed them.

"Thanks Awan. We'll have some chicken parmesan. Wanna join us for lunch?" Kirk answered and requested kindly.

"Well, I have my break after I serve you. Sure, I'll have lunch with you guys." Awan replied cheerfully before she walked into the kitchen to tell the chef.

The two families waited for a few minutes before she came back with their food. Because there were nine people eating food, she had to make two trips in order to deliver it. She then sat down next to Tamhigan.

The heavily scarred dragon took off his has mask and clipped it to his leather sling. Kirk and his family were a little disturbed by how his face was scarred, but they didn't comment because they didn't want to be rude.

"Hey Awan; I've been meaning to ask you, what element are you?" Glacia asked curiously as they ate.

"Oh, I have two elements; wind and shadow." the white scaled dragoness replied with a smile.

"Two elements. That's pretty rare. Then again, I'm used to seeing dragons with rare elements." the ice dragoness commented with a chuckle. "You, Kirk, Tamhigan, Valo, and Puritania." she listed off people with rare elements and or more than one element.

"Puritania? What special element does she have?" Kirk asked curiously with a raised eyebrow and everyone got interested suddenly.

"You guys remember how Valo has those special abilities that aren't exactly elements? Well, Puritania is kinda the same way. Not only can she control shadows, but she also has special healing abilities. I'm just going off of what Valo explained to me, but apparently Puritania can breathe a white mist that can heal injuries like red crystals do." his mate explained.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Flare commented excitedly and the other children nodded in agreement with her.

"It is, isn't it? Seems like this town is full of rarities." Awan said with a happy chuckle.

"How did you do that?" Tamhigan asked suddenly as he looked directly at Kirk.

"What? How did I change my element back there?" the fire dragon asked, slightly taken off guard by the question.

The post-apocalyptic dragon nodded in response, honestly wanting to know.

"I actually learned that I can do that recently. I can switch elements in a matter of seconds, but how fast I change depends on how hard I'm concentrating. I can switch to fire, ice, earth, and electricity." Kirk explained and he switched to the elements he spoke before he changed back to fire once he was finished speaking.

"I think it's cool how your electricity is blue." Sicle said shyly as he looked at the former human.

Tamhigan didn't respond to the child's comment, but he did exhale a small, harmless puff of dark blue electricity. The little ice dragon smiled at the display and felt a little more comfortable around the Native American dragon.

His parents noticed this and smiled. They knew how shy their son was and were proud that he was speaking to another person with at least some confidence. They've been trying to help him be more sociable since he was born.

The two families and Awan continued eating until they were all finished and the white scaled dragoness took their plates back to the kitchen. Once she came back to them, she looked at the two families with a big smile.

"Thanks for letting me eat with you. It gets boring at times when the only people who talk to me are those two blockheads." she said as she pointed at Torque and Ramallah across the room.

"No problem, Awan." Kirk replied with a warm chuckle. "Any one of us are always willing to talk to you." he added as he and his family stood up.

"We'll see you all later. We still need to unpack our things at our new house." Glacia told them all before she, her mate, and their children walked out of the inn.

Tamhigan, Awan, and the three adopted children watched them leave before they looked at one another.

"I should probably get back to work. I'll see you four around." the duel elemental dragoness told them before she walked over to one of the tables to take some customers' orders.

The post-apocalyptic dragon nodded in understand and watched her walk off before he donned his gas mask and listened to the sound of his amplified breathing for a moment. He then stood up and the kids did the same.

"Hey Tamy, should we go see if Valo wants to see us?" Tabaldak asked curiously as he and the other two children looked up at him.

"Yeah, I'd like to see her again." Managuen spoke up with a small smile.

Tamhigan nodded in confirmation, seeing that they really wanted to go. He thought that it would be a good idea to see the place that they would be staying at anyway. Even thought she told them to meet up with her later, he was sure that she would understand considering what happened with Stöt and Demodius.

The masked dragon led them over to the exit and opened the door for them. The three children walked outside first, followed by their caretaker. He closed the wooden door behind him and he looked over to where the fight took place and saw that Stöt's corpse had been removed.

Not wanting to dwell on the event that happened earlier, he started walking towards Valo's shop, remembering that she told them to meet her there when they were ready to go to her home. All Tamhigan wanted to do was go to Valo's house so he could ensure the children's safety. Something told him that their troubles weren't over quite yet.

**The OCs: Glacia, Sicle, and Flare are owned by Admiralkirk.**


	18. Rise of the Thunderbird

**Kwai kwai everyone! I'd like to start off by saying that it really blows my mind that this story has over 150 reviews. I never thought that would be possible for myself to achieve. I guess I have you readers to think for that. I also wanted to remind you all that Mizter Lamp is still looking for voice actors and artists for the audio version of the Lightning series. There's really not much else that I can think of to say, so remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 18: Rise of the Thunderbird

Tamhigan led the three children into Valo's shop and saw that there weren't any customers at all. Valo was sitting at the counter though and she seemed to be in deep thought. She immediately noticed their presence however and looked at them with a small smile.

"Hello. I saw what happened earlier from in here." the psi dragoness spoke, but not with disapproval or fear like what they expected.

"You're not mad at Tamy for killing someone?" Dusk couldn't help, but ask as she looked up at the adult dragoness.

"Not exactly, no. I don't necessarily like the fact that Stöt was killed, but I understand that it was self defense and I know how corrupt he and the other Guardians are. Don't worry about the other townsfolk. They'll calm down over time." Valo assured as she walked around the counter so they could talk more casually.

The post-apocalyptic dragon let out a quiet sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. He still didn't speak however, but the blue scaled dragoness didn't mind. She was already used to his mute nature and she cleared her throat to speak some more.

"Let's head on over to my house so you can rest." she suggested with a warm smile.

The family of four nodded and they followed the adult dragoness out of the store after she propped a sign saying "closed" against the window. They walked away from the market and into what looked like a housing district. The group of five approached a house made from stone bricks and it was fairly decent in size. There was also a dreamcatcher on the front door, which almost made Tamhigan smile behind his mask.

They walked up the front steps and Valo's eyes began to glow bright blue. The keyhole on the door began to glow blue as well and the sound of a click was heard. The children's eyes widened in amazement as the entire door began to glow and it slowly opened for them.

"Wow…" Managuen said with amazement in her voice as they all walked into the house before the blue scaled dragoness used her psychic powers to close the door again.

"You get used to it after awhile." a male voice chuckled warmly.

The group looked over to the doorway that led to the kitchen to see Ramallah standing there with a smile. He wasn't carrying his flintlock pistol at the moment either, most likely because he was off duty at the moment.

"Hey honey. We're home." the psi dragoness greeted before she walked over to her mate and kissed him on the cheek.

As they greeted one another, Tamhigan and the kids took the moment to look around the living room they were in. Like outside, the walls were made of stone, but there were plenty of windows and candles to keep the place lit. There was a leather couch to the side and a decent amount of seating pillows for dragons to rest. A bookshelf could be seen on the other side of the room and there were some paintings of various landscapes on the walls.

One of the paintings that caught Tamhigan's eye wasn't a landscape like the others, but a portrait. It depicted a fear dragon standing proudly on what looked like a pirate ship and he was wearing a black tricorn hat. The painting itself had the name "Mentem" written under it.

"I hope you all don't mind, but I need to head out to see Puritania." Valo's voice interrupted their sightseeing and the family of four looked over at their host, who was walking over to the front door again.

"When will you be back?" Ramallah asked curiously as he sat down on one of the seating pillows and everyone watched her use her telekinesis to open the door.

"I'll probably be back in an hour or two. I'll see you all later." the blue scaled dragoness replied before she walked out and shut the door behind her.

"Bye babe!" the earth dragon called before he looked at his guests. "Have a seat." he said politely with a quick nod to the other seating pillows and the couch.

The three kids immediately ran over to the couch and plopped down while the masked dragon sat down on the seating pillow across from the guard.

"I know that you guys must've had a long day, so I'm gonna avoid talking about what happened earlier today. I need to tell you guys something very important." the earth dragon said seriously and everyone became interested in what he had to say.

"What is it?" Dusk asked as she and the other kids leaned forward so they wouldn't miss anything.

"Back when I was about Tamhigan's age, I used to play in the woods outside Portum all the time. I would always go out to the nearby creek and just hang around with no particular goals. Well, one day when it was starting to get dark out, I was about to leave to go back home, but something happened. I saw this strange metal thing in the sky and all of a sudden, there was a bright light. The next thing I knew, I was in some kind of metal room and I was laying down on some kind of table; kinda like the ones you'd see at a healer's. Anyway, there were these little gray people with big heads and black eyes. They used various… things… to poke and prod me. I think they took some of my blood and I couldn't move for some reason. I wasn't restrained or anything, I just couldn't move. They didn't really hurt me though, just poked me with their weird tools. After awhile, I blacked out. When I came to, I was home on my living room floor." Ramallah told them a story from his past.

"Did that really happen?" Tabaldak asked with wide eyes and the other children looked amazed by the story.

"Mhm, it did. Most people don't believe me though. They just call me crazy." the earth dragon confirmed with a nod.

"Why doesn't anyone believe you?" Dusk asked with interest, not understanding why people would think that he was making stuff up.

"Their all just narrow-minded and think I'm trying to get attention. You three are the only ones who have ever believed me." Ramallah replied as he looked at the three kids. "Even Valo thinks I'm just rambling." he added.

Tamhigan cleared his throat and everyone looked over at him.

"Do you also believe me?" the guard asked with slight hope in his voice.

The post-apocalyptic dragon almost immediately nodded and the earth dragon smiled in gratitude. The kids smiled at the two adults and they had a feeling that they had found their new home.

"Well, Tamhigan, I think you should get some well deserved rest. We have a guest room up the stairs and it's the last door on the right." the earth dragon informed with a warm smile.

"Yeah, Tamy. Go get some sleep. We'll hang out with Ramallah." Managuen added with a reassuring smile.

The masked dragon was a little hesitant, but he had a gut feeling that everything would be okay. He nodded slightly before he stood up and walked over to the stairs, his biomechanical claw clicking against the floor as he did so. As he walked up the stairs to rest, Ramallah continued to tell the children about various other things he's experienced throughout his life.

* * *

Demodius had been wandering around the forests outside Portum for a long while now and the sky was now light gray because of the clouds. He didn't know exactly how long he'd been walking however, but all he knew was that he had to treat his still bleeding wound. The bullet wound in his shoulder was bleeding heavily and he needed to heal it quickly.

The dark dragon saw a glimpse of red in the corner of his eyesight and his head whipped around to look at the red blur. The blur turned out to be a convenient red healing crystal and a small sigh of relief escaped his lips. He limped over to the crystal and flexed his serrated claws in anticipation.

With one quick strike, the Assassin swiped at the crystal with is claws and a large junk of it smashed into thousands of crystal shards. The shards began to glow and they immediately flouted towards the dragon, being absorbed.

The bullet slowly slid out of the gunshot wound on Demodius' shoulder and he groaned in pain because of it. After that, the wound itself began to close up until nothing was left, except for the usual black scales.

"I hate guns." the Assassin growled as he slowly walked over to a nearby tree and sat down on his hunches under the tree's shadow.

Demodius went into deep though at this point and he began to think about what he would do now. He didn't even care about hunting down Tamhigan anymore; Kirk was his real enemy. Something seemed wrong however, something very wrong.

The Guardians were always kind of sketchy, but he didn't like the way Stöt was behaving at all when they were working together. The Electric Guardian kept saying things like how the Guardians were the superior dragons and that they have always been destined for greatness. It all seemed rather unsettling, even for him.

'Rethinking your goals?' a male voice asked in the dark dragon's head.

"Who's there!?" Demodius demanded as he bolted up to his feet and his eyes darted around in all directions in order to find the source of the voice.

'My name is… Bedagi. I'm speaking to you through your mind.' the spirit answered vaguely, obviously not wanting to talk about himself.

"What do you want?" the dark dragon questioned with a hardened frown as he slowly sat back down.

'I know that you don't trust the Guardians and I don't blame you. Those people have done things that make you look like an ambassador of peace.' Bedagi told him with a serious tone of voice.

"What are they doing? How do you expect me to even trust you?" the Assassin asked, still not sure whether the spirit was benign or not.

'You'll have to find out about the Guardians yourself. As for why you should trust me, that is completely up to you.' the spirit answered simply before his voice faded away.

"Wait! I have more questions!" Demodius yelled almost frantically as he stood up again.

He got no reply this time and he looked down in thought. His instincts were telling him not to believe the Bedagi and continue his mission, but his gut and curiosity was telling him to go back to the Temple and figure out what was going on exactly. He eventually came to a decision and looked up at the cloudy sky that looked even darker than before.

"Alright Bedagi, whoever you are. I'll go back and see what you want me to find so badly." Demodius spoke as light raindrops began to fall from the sky and he took flight with a mighty flap of his dark green wings.

The dark dragon wasn't sure if this was the best course of action, but his curiosity kept bugging him. His plan was to see what the Guardians were hiding, deal with the situation if necessary, and then take care of Kirk. He didn't give a damn about his original target anymore, he just needed o sate his curiousness. Something told him that his troubles were only just beginning as he flew over the forests and towards the Temple.

* * *

Puritania was sitting on her throne in the palace and she was in deep thought. She was thinking about what happened earlier that day and what she could've done to prevent it. Two people were dead as a result of what happened and one of them was an innocent bystander. She couldn't help, but blame herself for what happened. She was in charge of Portum and she treated everyone like family.

The black scaled dragoness' train of thought was broken and she looked up when she heard the front doors open and Valo walked in. A smile came to her muzzle as she watched the blue scaled dragoness walk up to her throne.

"Hello, Puritania. Is it alright if we talk for a bit?" the psi dragoness asked politely with a warm smile.

"Hi. It's not a problem at all." Puritania answered as she stood up. "What do you want to discuss?" she asked as they walked together in another room so they could talk with more privacy.

"I know you may not want to, but I would like to talk about what happened earlier today." Valo started as they walked into an empty dining hall and she watched her leader shut the door behind them.

The black scaled dragoness sighed from this and sat down on her seat at the dining table. Valo sat down next to her and they were both silent for a moment.

"I know it was self defense. Tamhigan and Kirk will not be charged with murder." she finally replied as she looked at her psychic friend.

"I already know that. I wanted to discuss the issue of Demodius and the remaining Guardians. We know that Tamhigan has killed five of them and the remaining three Guardians hired Demodius to track him down. And now that Demodius knows where Portum is, the whole town is in danger." the psi dragoness explained with a serious expression.

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Puritania asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think we should issue a firearm to everyone in the town, rather than have them purchase one. It will give everyone a chance to defend themselves. If everyone is armed and willing to protect their loved ones, then just about any outsider would think twice before attacking." Valo offered after a few seconds of thought.

The black dragoness thought about it for a few moments and slowly smiled. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She always believed that everyone should have the right to a gun anyway.

"Okay. I will have the blacksmiths forge some flintlock pistols for everyone. I want everyone who is at least eighteen in the town to be armed by tonight." Puritania spoke with a look of determination, making her friend smile.

"Alright. While you do that, I'll spread the news to everyone while you do that." the blue scaled dragoness assured with a nod and she walked out at a fast pace.

The black dragoness chuckled from her friend's determination and walked out of the dining hall. She looked over at the closest guard, who was a wind dragon, and she opened her mouth to speak. The guard interrupted her however, but now in a disrespectful way.

"I heard the whole thing, Puritania. I'll tell the blacksmiths about the flintlocks for you." he told her with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Kurir. That's so sweet of you." she replied with a smile of her own and she watched the guard walk out of the palace to carry out his volunteered task.

Once the guard was gone, Puritania walked over to her throne and sat down. She usually preferred to do things herself, but she didn't mind having a few helping hands every once in awhile.

The black scaled dragoness was brought out of her thoughts when she heard rapid footsteps approaching her. He quickly looked around the room and spotted her son running up to her, making her smile.

"Mom! It's raining outside!" Vän complained once he stopped in front of her, upset over the fact that he couldn't play outside anymore.

"I can hear it." his mother replied as the rain increased in volume and the soft boom of thunder was heard in the distance. "Come over here, honey." she told him as she motioned for him to come over.

The little shadow dragon walked up to his mother before he hopped onto the throne so he was sitting next to her. She looked down at him with a motherly smile and she felt him lean against her leg.

"It's spring time, honey. It's supposed to rain a lot." she reminded him as they both looked out the window to see the water droplets sliding down the glass.

"Yeah, but it still stinks. I wanna be outside." Vän replied with a gloomy expression and his head hung low.

"Have you ever heard about the Native American myth about the Thunderbird?" Puritania asked curiously, gaining her son's attention.

"No. What's it about?" he asked curiously with obvious interest.

"According to the Native Americans in the Human Realm, there was a bird creature that they called Thunderbird. It was thought to be bipedal like a Cheetah or Wolf and it was said to live on top of mountains. It would control the rain and help the forests grow and flourish. Not only that, but its cry would boom in the sound of thunder and is said that it can make lightning. Some tribes thought it was dangerous, yet others claimed that it was friendly with all creatures. One thing is clear however, its main goal was to bring life to the forests using rain." the black scaled dragoness explained to her son.

Vän was truly amazed by this story. He had no idea that such a creature existed, or at least, its myth existed. This made him have a newfound respect for rain and he smiled up at his mother.

"Thanks for telling me that story, mom." the little dragonling said with a smile before he hugged her leg.

"No problem, hon. I'll always find some way to entertain you." Puritania replied with a smile of her own as she lowered her wing so it was resting over her son like a leathery blanket.

They stayed like that for awhile, simply listening to the rain outside and the time they were spending together. They seldom had time to just sit down and be together like this because Puritania was always working on something. It felt nice for the both of them to relax without thinking about the town's safety.

"I love you, mom." Vän said warmly after awhile as they stared out the window to watch the rain.

"I love you too, son." Puritania replied with a smile.

The black scaled dragoness heard faint snoring afterwards and she looked down at the dragonling to see that he was napping with his head resting on her paw. Her smile widened from this and she gently kissed him on the head. She then looked out the window again, feeling truly at peace.


	19. A Trip Down Memory Lane

**Kwai kwai all you readers out there! Well, we're finally nearing the end of this story. It's been a long road, but we're at the point where I need to focus on writing the ending. We've still got a bit of chapters left to go, but I need to start thinking about the epilogue to this and my next story. I just wanted to thank everyone who have been supportive to me and this series. I need to talk about something seriously though. Just because something has been used in a previous story or another source, doesn't mean I'm copying it from said source. I've been planning this whole series out for years now and if there are any similarities with other stories or sources, then that's completely unintentional. That's all I have to say, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 19: A Trip Down Memory Lane

It was a dark day in the tunnels below the city of Boston. Like always, the industrial hallways were poorly lit and most of them were devoid of life.

There was a masked man walking down a semi-lit hallway that was completely empty. The hall was very dark and the only sounds that could be heard were the light drips from a leaking pipe and the heavy thumps from the man's boots. The hallway was lit with flickering ceiling lights and there were a few doors on the sides of the hall.

One of these doors opened suddenly and three men wearing white gas masks walked into the hall. The man who was dressed in black stopped dead in his tracks as the three armed men looked towards him. These men were obviously from the Ku Klux Klan and they were each carrying poorly maintained AR-15 assault rifles.

"It's the savage!" one of the Klan soldiers shouted before a bullet from the man's P90 pierced through his mask and into his brain.

The others cried out in surprise as they watched their comrade's brain matter and blood explode out of his brain and onto their pearl white uniforms. They immediately dove into the room they came from for cover and the man himself hid behind a corner.

"We're gonna kill you now, you hear me!?" one of the surviving men screamed in rage.

The masked man did not reply and silently waited. He did not hear the sound of gunfire or footsteps like he expected however. What was heard however, was the sound of something being pulled and the sound of something being dropped or thrown onto concrete. He looked down at the floor to see a homemade grenade resting by his leg and his dark brown eyes widened behind his gas mask. Thinking quickly, the masked man scooped up the crude bomb with his left hand and tossed it back at the direction it came from.

"Fuck!" he heard a loud curse from one of the men before a loud explosion went off, shaking the surrounding area.

Once everything seemed to calm down, the man hopped out of cover with his gun at the ready and cautiously approached the room where the three men originally came from. Once he reached the other room, he slowly scanned the area with his eyes to make sure there was no danger. One of the men was lying dead on the floor with most of his lower body blown off and there was only a stump of the left arm remaining.

He then looked toward the corner of the room to see the third Klan soldier cowering in the corner, covered from head to toe in specs of his friend's blood. The man's terrified eyes could easily be seen through the lens of his gas mask and he trembled heavily as the man slowly walked up to him.

"P-please… don't kill me…" the Klan soldier begged; his voice muffled slightly because of the respirator over his mouth.

The masked man didn't listen and quickly shot the man in the face, killing him instantly. Only one thing came to mind as he watched a mist of red pour out of the man's head. Every muzzle flash meant one more monster gone.

He was brought out of his train of thought by the sound of gurgling could be heard. The man whipped around on his heels to see a Twitcher slowly walking through the doorway and towards him.

Like the others of its kind, it was humanoid in shape and each of its arms were replaced with three that had sharp barbs at the end of each one. Its head twitched repeatedly while it's overly wide mouth snapped hungrily. Its pale gray skin was covered in blood from its previous victim and it obviously wasn't friendly.

The masked man quickly raised his submachine gun and squeezed the trigger. The room was little up from the gun's muzzle flashes as the bullet's pierced the monster's chest and stomach, but it didn't seem to have any affect and the creature continued to walk forward.

Once it was close enough, the man kicked the monster in the gut and ran out of the room. He heard the creature's footsteps behind him as he ran back down to the hallway he came from and made his way to a large, open room. This room was where scavengers would trade with one another before or after heading to the surface.

There were a dozen scavengers there and they all turned to face the masked man. They gasped when they saw the Twitcher close behind him and they quickly got their weapons ready.

"Daddy! It's a monster!" one of the scavengers' children cried out in fear, gaining the attention of the deadly mutant.

"Danny!" the child's father screamed with wide eyes behind his gas mask as the Twitcher rushed up to the poor boy and began to slash into him with its claws.

All the scavengers, the father, and the masked man opened fire on the mutant as it brutally murdered the boy before everyone's eyes. The boy's ear piercing scream echoed throughout the room as the world began to fuzz out until everything was black.

* * *

Tamhigan woke up with a start and he quickly sat up. He breathed frantically as he quickly looked around the foreign environment, but he calmed down when he realized that he was just in the guest bedroom of Valo's home.

The room had walls made out of stone and the basic essentials one would expect in a bedroom. He was currently sitting on the sleeping pillow that he was just resting on and he looked at the dark blue blankets and white pillow.

His breathing gradually slowed down when he realized that everything that happened earlier was a dream. He wasn't in underground Boston and there were no monsters hiding in the dark. He heard the sound of light rain and looked out the window to watch the raindrops fall from the sky.

There was a sudden knock at the door and the post-apocalyptic dragon looked towards the door.

"Breakfast is ready!" he heard Ramallah's voice on the other end before footsteps were heard going down the stairs.

Tamhigan sighed quietly; still shaken by the dream he had, and stood up. He spotted his leather sling on the nightstand and grabbed it. He slung it over his shoulder before he picked up his black gas mask and clipped it to his side.

Once the post-apocalyptic dragon was all set, he walked over to the exit, opened to door, and walked out of the bedroom. He then walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to see Valo, Ramallah, and his three adopted children at the table and they were already being served breakfast.

"Hello, Tamhigan. Did you have a good sleep?" the psi dragoness greeted with a warm smile as he sat down next to her.

The masked dragon didn't answer with words and simply nodded. Valo was able to tell that he was lying however, but she didn't voice her suspicions. She just wanted to enjoy breakfast for now and be with her friends and mate.

"Here ya go." Ramallah said with a smile as he placed a plate of pancakes with syrup.

"Thank you, this is very good. Did you make this yourself?" Managuen asked politely as they all started eating.

"As a matter of fact, I did. I'm glad that you like it." the earth dragon answered with a big smile as he sat down next to his mate and started eating as well.

"So, what's your plan for today?" Valo asked curiously as she looked over at Tamhigan.

The post-apocalyptic dragon simply shrugged, not knowing the answer to that himself. He thought about going for a walk by himself to get more used to the town's agriculture and familiarize himself with how to get around. He trusted Valo and Ramallah to watch the children while he did this and he slowly looked up at the psi dragoness.

"I want to go for a walk." he finally answered after he swallowed some of his food.

"That's fine. I'll bring the kids over to the palace so they can play with Vän." the blue scaled dragoness replied with her signature smile.

The black scaled dragon nodded in thanks before he finished up eating and stood up. He was about to take care of his plate and fork, but Ramallah quickly got up and grabbed them before he could.

"I'll take care of that for you. You go enjoy your walk." the earth dragon told his guest and walked into the kitchen to clean the dishes.

Once again, Tamhigan nodded in thanks and he unclipped his black gas mask. He secured it over his face and looked over at his three adopted children.

"Please be careful, Tamy. I don't want anything to happen to you." Dusk said with some sadness in her voice as she hugged her father figure, knowing that he was thinking about leaving to fight the remaining three Guardians.

The other two children jumped out of their seats and hugged him too. None of them wanted him to go when they were finally safe.

"I won't leave Portum." the masked dragon promised quietly as he lightly hugged the children.

They all released each other after a few moments and the black scaled dragon walked over to the front door. He heard everyone say their goodbyes before he opened the door and walked outside.

The only thing Tamhigan had in mind was the dream he had earlier that day and he just wanted to walk around to take his mind off of the bad memories.

* * *

Demodius had been flying through the rain for hours now and he never even stopped to rest for the night. He was now flying over the mushroom forest and it wasn't raining nearly as heavily as it was in Portum, but he knew that that would change soon.

As he flew through the sky and felt the raindrops connect with his midnight black scales, he thought about what transpired earlier with the voice in his head. He surmised that this "Bedagi" was some kind of spirit and that they both didn't trust the Guardians. He wasn't sure if he could trust Bedagi, but he was willing to at least investigate his employers' activities.

It wasn't long before the dark dragon spotted the Temple below and he started to glide down to a landing. His feet soon touched the wet ground and he entered the ancient building. It was still morning, so the students were having breakfast in the cafeteria, which made things easier for him.

"You're back early." a male voice spoke and the Assassin's head whipped to his left to see Rädsla standing there with a frown.

"Stöt's dead." Demodius informed the Guardian.

"No shit. Why else would you come crawling back here." the Fear Guardian replied frighteningly calm.

The black scaled dragon just glared at his employer before he started walking down the hall. He was forced to stop however because the Guardian of Fear quickly ran in front of him, blocking his path.

"And where do you think you're going?" he demanded with that emotionless stare of his that could give anyone goosebumps.

"I'm gonna get some rest before I head out again." the Assassin lied before he walked around the larger dragon and made his way down the hall.

Rädsla rolled his eyes and started to walk to his office. He had a lot on his mind at the moment. Now that Stöt was gone, he was not the leader of the remaining Guardians. Another issue was that the students were growing more aware of the murdered Guardians' absences and some of their friends' disappearances.

He, Vind, and Jord told all the students that the other Guardians were out doing important business, but the students found that harder to believe with each passing day. This heavily stressed the Wind and Earth Guardians, but Rädsla was perfectly calm and collected. He didn't care what happened to his colleagues, he just wanted more test subjects for his experiments.

The Fear Guardian casually walked into his office and shut the door behind him before he made his way over to the bookshelf and pulled out the book that was attached to a tether. He walked down the familiar dark tunnel until he reached the door at the end and he entered the next room before shutting the door behind him.

The first thing Rädsla noticed was that his newest captive, a young water dragoness, was chained up on the floor. He looked at her sea blue scales and curvy body. He figured that she was about sixteen years of age and he knew for a fact that she was a student. He caught her snooping around his office the other day and decided to make her his next test subject. He put a collar around her neck earlier that had a dark crystal in the center, which was meant to keep her from using her element.

The Guardian of Fear noticed something off. She didn't look like she was sleeping and he couldn't hear any signs of snoring. He slowly approached her and leaned forward so his head was right in front of her face.

"I know you're awake." he whispered darkly.

The young water dragoness let out a light whimper before she opened her eyes to look at him, revealing her aqua colored eyes. She was completely afraid at the moment and she tried to use her water element to spray him in the face, but nothing came out, making the adult dragon chuckle.

"Can't use your element? That dark crystal on your neck drains mana; which means, you're completely at my mercy, Hostiæ." her captor explained to her with a toothy grin, showing off his sharp teeth.

The young water dragoness, now known as Hostiæ let out another whimper as she tried her best to scoot away from him. He noticed her futile retreat and grabbed her lower sides.

"Stop squirming away. Come here, little water draggy." Rädsla scolded with a chuckle as he dragged her closer to him, making her shake in absolute fear.

"Please don't hurt me…" the student begged quietly as she watched her teacher reach into his black bag, take out an iron gas mask, and secure it over his face.

"No promises. If you didn't snoop around my office, you'd be eating lunch with your friends right now or fucking your boyfriend or something along those lines." the Fear Guardian replied, his voice muffled slightly because of the mask.

"I wanted help on the homework…" she whimpered with tears in her eyes as the larger dragon leaned forward and a crimson red mist began to leak out of his mask.

Rädsla didn't reply and continued to have the fear mist leak into the air and the water dragoness started to feel woozy and disorientated. It wasn't long before her vision was completely red and she couldn't feel anything.

The mist slowly cleared away and Hostiæ found herself in a completely new environment. She was now in what she could only describe as a prison that one would see in Warfang and she wasn't chained up anymore.

"What's going on?" the water dragoness asked fearfully as she shakily stood up and looked at the stone walls and many jail cells around her.

Silence was her only response and she quickly became very scared. She trembled in fear as she slowly walked down the dark hallway that only had locked cells on the walls. Nothing eventful happened as she walked down the stone hallway, but that just made her more frightened. She was terrified that something was gonna pop out at her, but nothing happened.

Hostiæ managed to reach the end of the hallway, but the only thing that greeted her was an open prison cell. She didn't want to go inside, but there was nowhere else to go. She hesitantly walked into the cell that was meant for dangerous criminals, but the cell door slammed shut behind her, making her yelp in surprise.

"No! No! Please let me out!" the water dragoness begged to anyone who would listen as she grabbed the cell door's iron bars and tears streamed down her face.

She tried desperately to pry the door open, but it wouldn't budge. She didn't want to be there. She wanted to be safe in her room and be wrapped in her warm blankets. This place filled her very soul with dread and she somehow knew that she was never going to see her family again.

There was the sound of a loud exhale behind Hostiæ and she whipped around to glowing white eyes in the shadows of the room. She let out a frightened scream as she backed up against the door and she breathed frantically in pure terror. The eyes looked like they were getting closer and she felt a stream of warm liquid travel down her hind legs as her bladder lost control.

"Please… don't hurt me…" the water dragoness begged with loud sobs as she started to see a humanoid silhouette that seemed to be walking on all fours like an animal.

The creature loudly exhaled again as its arm slowly reached forward and she saw what looked like long, bloody claws. Her heart pumped very quickly as her wide eyes watched the claws reach for her and she closed her eyes, trying to block everything out.

Hostiæ heard dark chuckling all of a sudden and she slowly opened her eyes to see Rädsla standing over her and the monster was gone. They were both in his torture room and everything seemed to be normal again. Her scales were covered in sweat that secreted between her scales and she looked down with a blush to see a puddle of her urine under her.

"That was just a little taste of what I'm gonna make you go through." the Fear Guardian told her with a dark chuckle as he pat her head like a dog. "I can't just scare you to death like I usually do to my test subjects because you have a family, but I can still keep you here." he told her with an evil grin behind his iron gas mask.

"I… I wanna go h-home…" the young water dragoness sobbed as she shivered from shock.

"Maybe I'll scare you so much that you'll forget all of this and you can go home. Until then, you're my new test subject." her teacher replied cheerfully as he took off his gas mask and placed it into his black bag.

Rädsla then sat down at his desk to write in his journal as Hostiæ cried and sat in a puddle of her own urine. She hoped that someone would save her, but she felt like that would never happen.


	20. Beautiful Hatred

**Kwai kwai nidobak! All of your reviews and PMs about Rädsla are quite entertaining and I smiled when I read each one. I still can't believe that some of you readers when so far that you recommended ways to kill him. He's personally my favorite antagonist that I've created and I love it that there's such a strong reaction to what he does. Well, I've been blabbering for long enough. Remember to leave a review or send a PM to me!**

Chapter 20: Beautiful Hatred

Tamhigan had been walking around the rainy streets of Portum for over half an hour now. He repeatedly had to wipe the raindrops off of the visors on his gas mask, but it didn't bother him too much and he kept on walking. He personally liked the rain because he never got to experience it back in his home realm. The sound and smell of the rain calmed him and the thunder and lightning in the sky made him feel proud for some reason; probably because he was partly an electric dragon.

The masked dragon heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see none other than Kirk approaching him. He stopped walking so the red scaled dragon could catch up and he started walking again once they were side by side.

"The weather sure is lovely, isn't it?" the fire dragon asked sarcastically moments before thunder boomed in the distance.

Tamhigan just shrugged as a response, not understanding the joke. The other dragon rolled his eyes from this and walked ahead slightly so he was leading them. The black scaled dragon decided to follow him for now and the quietly made their way to a house that wasn't too far from Valo's.

"Wanna come in to get dry?" Kirk asked with friendly sounding voice.

The heavily scarred dragon nodded to this and he followed the blood red scaled dragon into the house. The house looked like a less decorated version of Valo's home, most likely because Kirk and his family just moved in. Speaking of his family, his mate and two children didn't seem to be present at the moment.

"Glacia took Sicle and Flare to the palace so all the kids could play together." Kirk explained as he took a seat on one of the seating pillows.

Tamhigan sat down on the pillow across from him and looked down at his front paws. He had a feeling that this dragon brought him there for a reason, but everything seemed to be benign enough.

"I know you may not want to talk about it, but we need to talk about what happened yesterday with the Guardian and Demodius." the fire dragon started seriously.

"It was self defense." Tamhigan stated quietly and devoid of emotions.

"I know, Stöt's death wasn't too bad, I guess… but when you told us that you offed other Guardians… it just doesn't seem right." the red scaled dragon reasoned, but he was trying not to sound mean or rude.

"I've dealt with cruel people in my life; monsters, psychos, rapists, suicide bombers… this is nothing." the masked dragon spoke more harshly than he intended. "Have you ever seen a child executed right in front of you?" he asked much more quietly.

Kirk didn't reply to this; he just stared at his guest with wide eyes. He still didn't like that Tamhigan killed people, but what he said shocked him dearly.

'This guy needs mental help.' the fire dragon thought to himself with a frown of pity.

"That may be how it was from your time or wherever you came from, but it's not like that around here. I'm not trying to be an ass about this; I just think that killing people without a good enough reason is wrong. I don't know… maybe I just don't have all the facts." Kirk replied finally, referring to the Guardians in the last sentence.

The post-apocalyptic dragon didn't reply to this and looked out the window, staring at the rain. The fire dragon looked too and they watched the rainfall together. After a few minutes of silence, Kirk spoke up again.

"That's an interesting tailblade you have." he said casually, trying to get away from the earlier subject.

Tamhigan looked away from the window and down at his tail, which was lazily laying on the floor in an arch, making his tailblade rest on the floor in front of him.

"That doesn't look like it's made out of the same stuff that other tailblades are. It looks like metal or something." the fire dragon commented as he looked at the blade, as if studying it.

"It's cold steel." the masked dragon explained, remembering that he found his cold steel tomahawk in a museum within the Vietnam exhibit back in Boston.

The tomahawk that was now his tailblade was once used by a Native American soldier during the Vietnam War. The United States government issued these weapons to native soldiers and called the weapons Vietnam Tomahawks. He also believed that the weapons were adopted in Canada as well, but he didn't bother explaining any of this to Kirk because he doubted he'd be able to understand it anyway.

"How can your tailblade be made of steel?" the fire dragon asked curiously with a raised eyebrow. "That's not natural for dragons." he added.

"I'm not exactly natural." Tamhigan stated quietly as he lifted his biomechanical paw and looked at the serrated claws.

The red scaled dragon didn't comment on this and stared at the metal paw as well. He was very curious how that happened, but he decided not to ask about it for now. He stood up after a few minutes and stretched his legs, hearing the bones pop.

"Oh, that felt good." Kirk commented after he heard the pops and he stood up straight. "Wanna head out and see now the kids are doing?" he asked the dragon who he considered to be a friend.

Tamhigan silently nodded in response before he stood up as well and they both walked out of the house and into the rain.

* * *

The rain came down more heavily at the Temple and everyone chose to stay indoors because of it. It was now midday and the students were currently in their classes, learning.

Demodius was in his room and staring out the window, looking at the rainy landscape. He had a lot on his mind at the moment. He was trying to plan out who he should investigate first and he thought about the risks for each one.

Rädsla was the new leader of the remaining Guardians and was always one of the smartest dragons around. He didn't know too much about Jord, but that made things just as risky. Vind was probably the fastest dragoness in all the Realms and was known as one of the most attractive dragonesses in the area.

The dark dragon figured that Vind would be the best person to investigate for the time being and he slowly stood up before walking out of the room. Not wanting anyone to snoop around his room, he shut the door behind him before locking it and he quietly made his way down the hallway.

The Wind Guardian's office seemed to be a reasonable place to start his search and he made his way to the room. He knocked on the stone door, only to be greeted with silence. Not wanting to waste time, he simply fazed into shadows and reappeared in the room.

The office was not much different from the other Guardians' offices. There was a wooden desk on the other side of the room with various seating pillows for both students and the Guardian. There was also a painting of Cynder on the wall next to the bookshelf, suggesting that the Guardian at least respected the long dead hero.

Demodius shook his head to forget about the painting and began to search the room, looking for anything unusual. He searched through the desk's drawers, skimmed over the files, and even checked the walls for hollow spaces, but found nothing interesting. He gave up after awhile and used his shadow element to leave the room before solidifying again.

"That was a waste of my time." the black scaled dragon mumbled to himself as he walked down the empty hallway.

Mentally crossing her office off of his list, the dark dragon quietly made his way to the Guardians' living quarters and started looking for the room with the wind element's symbol. He found it after a bit of searching and was about to enter, but he heard something within the room. Curious as to what was going on, he pressed the side of his head against the door to listen in.

Demodius frowned heavily from what he heard within the bedroom. He heard a female grunting in what he determined to be pain and occasional slapping noises. He was about to leave, but he couldn't he couldn't deny himself that he was at least a little interested in what was going on in there.

The dark dragon faded into shadows so no one could see him and he simply walked through the stone door. What he saw however was something that he wasn't expecting at all.

Vind was standing over a teenaged ice dragoness who had her limbs painfully tied behind her back. She was crying heavily as the adult dragoness thrusted into her with a strap-on dildo and was hit repeatedly for crying.

Demodius let a furious snarl form in his shadow form as he witness the Wind Guardian molest the poor kid and he angrily flexed his serrated claws.

The Assassin took a deep breath before he solidified in a puff of black mist and he leapt at them with his claws outstretched. The Guardian of Wind and the young ice dragoness looked up at the enraged dragon before he tackled the rapist to the floor with a loud thud.

"OOF! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, DEMODIUS!?" Vind screamed furiously with a toothy frown and a snarl at the end.

Demodius didn't reply and violently bit into her neck with his fangs, causing rivers of blood to travel down her chest. She gasped in pain and tried to struggle, but he had a firm grip on her and she felt more and more weak with each passing moment. The corners of her vision began to go black as she went limp on the floor.

The dark dragon slowly released her and stood up as she passed out. He then walked over to the terrified teenager and used the serrated edge of his tailblade to cut her bonds away.

"Leave." the dark dragon told the rape victim with an emotionless tone of voice and it was clear that he didn't care whey she was being raped in the first place.

"I… thank you." the young ice dragoness said thankfully, but very much gratefulness before she sprinted out of the room as fast as she could.

Demodius nodded before he looked over at the unconscious Wind Guardian with a look of disgust. He walked over to her and simply stared at her motionless face. He patiently waited for his fangs' venom to take affect and he smirked when he saw her start to squirm in her sleep.

"No… you were late for class…" she mumbled in her sleep and the Assassin assumed that she was talking about the girl she was raping not five minutes ago.

'She raped the kid because she was late for class?!' Demodius asked in his head with a heavy frown 'I think she needs more.' he thought to himself before he bit into her neck again and pumped more venom in.

Vind flinched from the two pricks, but she continued sleeping. Demodius pulled away again and took a step back as she began to squirm some more and she started to whimper this time. In her perspective, all of the hardships she faced in her life and her personal fears were being shown to her and sweat began to secrete between her scales.

"Noooo… stoop… STOP! AAAAHHHHH!" the Wind Guardian screamed at the top of her lungs as her face wrinkled with distress and she began to thrash wildly on the floor.

Demodius just scoffed at her and walked out of the room without looking back, intending to return to his room. The Guardian of Wind screamed and cried loudly as she experienced her worst nightmares, but she began to feel the venom's second affect if it was given in high enough doses.

Vind started to cough up blood in between screams and her body began to shut down as the venom traveled throughout her system. Her screams gradually died down and she resorted to heavy breathing as she struggled to take in air. Her chest heaved as she wheezed loudly, but she soon stopped and her heart finally stopped beating.

Once she died, Demodius made it to his room at that point and he casually shut the door behind him. He knew that the Jord and Rädsla wouldn't know that he did it because they were his employers and had no reason to think that he was the one who did it.

The dark dragon calmly walked over to the window and simply stared at the rain as it fell from the sky. He couldn't believe that one of the Guardians, who were supposed to be the protectors of dragon kind, would rape a dragoness like that.

'Do you see now why I told you to investigate the Guardians?' Bedagi's voice could be heard in his head.

"Yeah… I get it." the Assassin replied quietly with a heavy frown.

He didn't like this because he felt like that he was admitting that he was wrong or something along those lines. He didn't like it when things didn't go his way.

"Why? Why did you choose me to do this?" Demodius couldn't help, but ask the spirit that was guiding him.

"I chose you because I know that you're the only one who can take care of the rest of the Guardians right now. My broth- I mean Tamhigan is too busy making a new life for himself right now.' Bedagi replied with a slight stutter halfway through.

Demodius raised an eyebrow from this and he was about to ask about it, but he decided not to. He could already fit two and two together. The spirit who was guiding him was most likely his former target's long dead brother.

"I'm gonna wait a day or two for things to cool down before I start investigating again." The dark dragon informed the spirit.

'Very well. I'll be watching your progress and give you words of wisdom whenever you need it.' Bedagi spoke as his voice started to face away.

Demodius sighed once he felt the spirit's departure and he went back to silently staring at the rainfall, not wanting to be bothered by anyone at the moment.

* * *

Back in Portum, Tamhigan and Kirk were inside the palace and were watching the kids play with one another. The six dragonlings ran throughout the room in an attempt to catch each other in their game of tag as their parents and guardians made sure they played safe.

Kirk and his mate, Glacia, were having a friendly talk with Puritania and Valo while the post-apocalyptic dragon simply watched the children. He wasn't really thinking about anything specific, just enjoying the moment of peace that he seldom got to experience in his life.

'Hey Tamhigan. We need to talk.' he heard his great-grandfather's voice in his head. 'Vind was just murdered a few minutes ago.' he informed his great-grandson.

The masked dragon was greatly surprised by this new information, but he didn't physically show his surprise. His dark brown eyes were wide as dinner plates behind his gas mask and he couldn't help, but wonder how she died.

'I'm not sure exactly how she was killed, but I know for a fact that it was murder. Maybe one o f the students figured out that she was corrupt and offed her.' Dylan suggested awkwardly. "Oh well. Ready for another story? This'll be a long one." he asked curiously.

Tamhigan mentally nodded and stood up. The others looked at him curiously as he started to walk to the exit.

"Where are you going?" Puritania asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Outside. I'll be in soon." the mask heavily scarred dragon answered quietly before he opened the wooden door and walked into the rain.

Once outside, the post-apocalyptic dragon rose so he was standing on his back feet and rested his forelegs on the railing on the palace steps. He wanted to get away from everyone so he could focus soley on what his ancestor had to tell him.

'Before Vind was even born, her father would kidnap various women and rape them; usually followed by him murdering his victims. Well, he decided to spare her mother and she became pregnant from the experience. She ended up dying during childbirth and the rapist had to raise their daughter. The one thing that the fucker did right was not tell Vind about his little hobby.' Dylan started with a heavy sigh at the beginning. 'Well, Vind thought that it would be funny to hurt defenseless animals and she started to torture random animals she found until she was fourteen. When she became that age, her father was killed by his rape victims' families and they left her on her own. She moved on from torturing animals to kidnapping and raping people, which she's done even after she became the Wind Guardian.' he explained with dread in his voice.

Tamhigan was completely silent throughout the whole story and he looked down at his two front paws, staring at the organic and mechanical limbs. He knew that Dylan had returned to the Spirit Realm at this point and he went over the story that he just heard in his head. He heard similar stories back in Boston, but nothing quite like that before. He just wondered who brought up the courage to kill a monster like Vind.

The masked dragon was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the door open behind him and he looked over his shoulder to see Puritania peek her head out to look at him.

"Are you done playing in the rain?" she asked jokingly, but with motherly kindness in her voice.

The black scaled dragon just scoffed at this, but he walked inside with her nonetheless. They entered the throne room again to see the kids sitting down on the floor and talking about various things that kids usually talk about.

"Hey, Tamy! Can you come over here for a sec?" Dusk asked once she noticed her caretaker's return.

The post-apocalyptic dragon walked over to the children and lowered his head to their level. He was a little surprised however when Dusk, Managuen, and Tabaldak stood on their hind legs and hugged his masked face.

"We love you, daddy." Managuen said quietly with a big smile.

Everyone else in the room smiled at the scene as the seemingly stone cold dragon felt a wave of warmness travel throughout his body. His three adopted children released him after a bit and he sat on his hunches next to the kids. This place filled his heart with peace and he refused to let the Guardians take it from him.


	21. Dark Realizations

**Kwai kwai everyone! There are only two Guardians left and we're getting ever closer to the ending of this story. I've been planning this whole story since I worked on Dead Realm last year and it amazes me that we've gotten this far. I would like to thank all of you for support for this series. And if you guys are still interested, I still have that prequel in mind, so that'll be coming around sometime next fall, or at least I hope so. Also, don't forget; Mizter Lamp is still looking for voice actors, so go to his YouTube channel and sign up if you'd like. One last thing, it's my birthday today and this chapter is a little something to celebrate it. Remember to leave a review or send a PM!**

Chapter 21: Dark Realizations

About a day has passed since Dylan informed Tamhigan of Vind's death. He still wanted to know who the killer was, but he didn't put too much thought into it. His adopted children were his main focus.

The family of four was currently in Valo's shop and it was just before opening time. The children offered to help set up everything that would be on display as a way of saying thank you for letting them live in her house.

Dusk and Managuen were putting various vials and plants on the shelves while Tabaldak quickly cleaned the counter with Tamhigan's help. The masked dragon didn't really see the point in making everything look nice, but he didn't question it because he felt like he was working off his debt to the psi dragoness.

Valo was humming a cheerful tune as she checked the gold coins in the cash register. Once she was satisfied with the amount of gold in the register, she looked up at everyone to see how they were doing.

"That's fine, guys. You can stop now." she informed them all and they stopped working to look at her.

"Are you gonna open the store now?" Managuen asked curiously as she and Dusk backed away from the shelves so they could be near Tamhigan and Tabaldak.

"No, not yet. I need to speak with Tamhigan in the backroom real quick before I open the store." Valo answered, gaining the masked dragon's interest. "Can you hold down the fort, little ones?" she asked the kids.

"You can count on us." Dusk assured cheerfully as she and the other kids saluted the adult dragoness with their wings.

"Okay. Come along, Tamhigan." Valo chuckled at the kids before she walked into the backroom with the heavily scarred dragon close behind her.

She made sure to close the door behind them and she sat down on one of the seating pillows surrounding her Pool of Visions.

"Have a seat." the blue scaled dragoness offered as she nodded to the seats around the pool.

Deciding to take the offer, the post-apocalyptic dragon sat down on the seating pillow across from her and looked at her. He was wondering why she brought him back here and he expressed his curiosity by tilting his head slightly to the side.

"You know, you're pretty famous here in the Dragon Realms, but no one knows anything about you specifically." Valo stated as she looked at her pool of green water. "I can't even see your past with the Pool of Visions… but with you here, I was thinking that you could show me a little bit of your past or where you came from. As long as you're okay with it, of course." she explained with interest in her voice.

"I don't want you to see my past." the post-apocalyptic dragon replied with a quiet, yet stern tone of voice.

This wasn't the answer that the psi dragoness wanted to hear, but she respected his decision. Something told her that his past was a touchy subject and she guessed that it wasn't exactly a happy subject considering his scars and human-made mask.

"Can you at least show me what Earth looks like? it doesn't have to be from you past." she requested with a soft expression.

Tamhigan considered this request carefully and thought for a long moment. He eventually nodded as a response, approving this. They both wordlessly scooted closer to the Pool of Visions and looked into the green water. Nothing happened at first, but the water began to ripple after a few moments and a vision started to appear.

They saw the post-apocalyptic city of Boston, but something seemed different about it than Tamhigan remembered. The nuclear snow now reached the tops of some rooftops and every building that was smaller than five stories in height were completely submerged in snow. This is what Boston now looked like and the mutants could be seen trudging through the snow. It was unknown whether humans were still living there or not.

'That place looks like a nightmare to live in.' Valo thought to herself with a heavy frown as she stared at the partially snow covered city.

The masked dragon just blankly stared at the vision behind his gas mask. If this is what Boston has been reduced to, what about the rest of the world? Was the whole world in such a wintery state, or were there places out there without the nuclear snow? There were so many questions left unanswered, yet he felt like those questions would remain a mystery.

"Tamhigan… are you alright?" the psi dragoness asked softly, seeing that his aura went from its usually dark blue to deep red.

He didn't answer and continued to stare at the pool. There was more of a feeling of sorrow and pity rather than anger or hatred. He had a feeling that Earth would be reduced to an unlivable landmass that it now was, but it still didn't make things any better.

Something strange began to happen however. The water rippled slightly as the snow covered city cleared away and it was replaced the burning town of Portum and various bodies of the townspeople could be seen lying on the empty streets. Tamhigan himself was lying dead on the ground as a dragon wearing an iron gas mask stood over his corpse.

"By the ancestors… is that… Rädsla?" Valo asked with wide, horror filled eyes.

The post-apocalyptic dragon nodded in confirmation, very uneased himself. They could hear the Fear Guardian laugh maniacally as his fear gas seeped out of his gas mask and the vision was blurred with the crimson gas.

The vision faded away after a few moments and the water returned to its usual green color. The two dragons looked at each other before they looked at the pool again, then back at each other.

"I really hope that wasn't a prediction of the future…" the dragoness with tribal tattoos commented with a very shaky tone of voice.

Tamhigan nodded slowly in agreement and he took a deep breath to try to calm down. They were both very unnerved by what they just saw and it shook them to the core. One thing was certain however, they needed to prepare for the possible attack.

"I'm gonna go to the palace and inform Puritania about the vision." Valo stated as she stood up. "Can you take the kids back home? Also there's something I want you to have at home. It's under me and Ramallah's sleeping pillow. Get it and wait for me or Ramallah to return." she told him before rushing out.

The heavily scarred dragon didn't like taking orders from people, but his survival instincts told him to bring the children to the house like she said. Besides, he wanted to know what she left for him under her sleeping pillow. He waited for a few moments before he walked into the store's main room to see his adopted children sitting on the counter.

"Hi Daddy! Where'd Valo go?" Managuen asked, trying to get used to referring her caretaker as her father.

"The palace. We need to go home." the post-apocalyptic dragon answered as he moved over to the counter so they could get onto his back.

The three children didn't question who they considered to be their father and they hopped on. Once he was sure that they wouldn't fall off, Tamhigan walked out of the store, locked it behind him with the spare key that was given to him, and walked away.

It didn't take long for them to reach Valo's house and the black scaled electric dragon carried the children inside. He closed the door behind him and the kids jumped onto one of the seating pillows before they hopped onto the floor so they could walk for themselves. Their father figure then proceeded to silently walk into Valo and Ramallah's room, so the kids followed him in.

"Why are we in here?" Tabaldak asked curiously as he looked around the average looking bedroom with various paintings of landscapes on the wall.

"I dunno. Maybe something important happened again." Dusk suggested as they all sat on their hunches and looked at Tamhigan.

They watched at he moved the sleeping pillow to the side and they all spotted a thin, black box that was hidden. They all grew curious on what was inside it and the masked dragon slid it in front of the kids. He then sat down across from them and placed his biomechanical paw on top of the container.

"What's in that box?" the male, purple dragonling asked with interest in his young voice.

"I don't know… but Valo wanted me to have it." Tamhigan answered quietly as his unnatural paw slid over to the box's cover.

He opened it soon after and was shocked with its contents. He reached his metal appendage in and slowly pulled out a draconic flintlock pistol. It was built so that a dragon could easily hold it with his or her paw and the weapon possessed two barrels, one over the other, which gave the shooter two shots instead of just one. There was also a leather holster in the box that could easily be clipped onto Tamhigan's sling and a pouch of musket balls.

Firearms were usually used by those who were wealthy or part of the military. It wasn't everyday that someone willingly gave a flintlock pistol to someone for free. It was usually a sign that the giver either really trusted the person receiving the gun, or it was a token of friendship. Either way, it was a huge honor for Tamhigan to receive such a gift.

"Valo gave that to you!?" Managuen asked as she and the other two children's eyes widened in surprise.

"Apparently." the heavily scarred dragon replied quietly as he attached the holster and ammo pouch to his leather sling; he also lightly tugged it to make sure that it wouldn't fall off.

"Wow, you're so lucky to get a gun!" Tabaldak commented with a big smile.

Tamhigan just shrugged in response, but he really did appreciate this. Very few things in life were for free and he made a mental note to tell Valo that he was grateful when she returned. He took this moment to examine his new weapon closely as the three kids looked at one another.

"I never understood why grown-ups like guns so much." Dusk commented with a bored tone of voice.

"I think it's a pride thing. I'm not much of a gun person either." Managuen replied with a shrug.

"Well I actually like guns. They're cool and are used to protect people." Tabaldak spoke up. "Besides, dad will use that gun to protect us." he informed them.

"Well, you have a point there." the purple dragoness mumbled, making her brother smirk.

The kids continued to talk until heard the door open and they looked towards the entrance to see Valo and Ramallah walk in together. The psi dragoness looked much more at ease that she did earlier and her mate kept a straight face.

"I see you found the little present we left you." the blue scaled dragoness with tribal tattoos noticed when she spotted Tamhigan holster his new flintlock pistol.

The post-apocalyptic dragon nodded in response before he and the three children stood up. They then walked over to the two adult dragons.

"Hey kids. Wanna hang with me for a bit?" Ramallah offered when his blank expression turned into a friendly smile.

"Sure!" Managuen replied enthusiastically before she and the other dragonlings followed the earth dragon into the living room.

Once they were gone, Valo walked over to her large sleeping pillow and sat down on it. She nodded to the open space on the pillow next to her and Tamhigan slowly sat down next to her.

"Well, I had a little chat with Puritania about the visions we saw and the guards are now preparing the town for a possible attack. All residents have been given a flintlock pistol and everyone's been informed of the possible danger." the psi dragoness informed. "That's also one of the reasons why I gave you that pistol." she added.

Tamhigan nodded in understanding, but something told him that wasn't the only reason why she gave him the gun. He didn't understand the concept of gifts, so he decided to believe that it was strictly professional.

"Well, I'd best get to back to the shop. I'll see you later." Valo told him before she stood up and left the room.

Tamhigan slowly stood up as well and cracked his neck. Once he heard the bone pop, he walked out of the bedroom as well to see how the kids and Ramallah were doing.

* * *

It was now around lunch time in the Temple and all the students were eating in the cafeteria. Demodius was sitting in his room and staring out the window to look at the rain. Many thoughts were going through his head at the moment.

'I was trained from birth to kill, destroy, torture, and dominate since I was born and now look at what I'm doing. Killing the remaining Guardians? My own employers? Nothing makes sense anymore…' the dark dragon thought to himself with a heavy frown before he looked down at his unnatural tailblade that was shaped like a serrated tear. 'No… I need to destroy the Guardians. I'm the only monster here.' he thought as he barred his teeth slightly.

He heard a knock at the door all of a sudden and his head whipped around to face the entrance.

"Who is it?!" the Assassin demanded gruffly as he stood up and adopted a combat stance.

"Friends!" a young voice replied from the other end, surprising the dark dragon; not expecting students to come to his room, which was sanctioned off as a restricted room.

Wondering what the kid or kids wanted from him, Demodius slowly walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. He spotted two male earth dragons on the other end and they were patiently waiting. The Assassin didn't know it, but these two were the ones who dragged Tamhigan back to his room after he Killed Orm. The dark dragon figured that the two students were harmless enough and he unlocked the door before opening it.

"Yes? What do you want?" Demodius asked with a raised eyebrow, but his muscles were still tense with caution.

"Um, can we come in? It probably wouldn't be a good idea to talk out in the open like this." the first earth dragon requested as the second one nervously looked around to make sure no one was nearby.

The dark dragon waited a moment before he hesitantly stepped to the side and the two students walked in. Once they were all inside, he shut the door and faced the new arrivals.

"Okay… what do you kids want? And how did you know that I live here?" he demanded with a heavy frown.

"Everyone at the Temple knows that something is going on in this room and we all have seen you walking around. My boyfriend and I just assumed that you live in this room." the first earth dragon answered.

'Boyfriend? They must be homosexual then.' the Assassin thought to himself, but he didn't speak his thoughts because he wanted more information.

"We came to talk to you because one of our friends claimed that you saved her from Vind." the first earth dragon continued his explanation.

"Did you… did you kill Vind?" the second earth dragon couldn't help, but ask.

They noticed the older dragon pause and they waited patiently for him to respond. After a few moments, he responded.

"Yes. Is that all you wanted or what?" Demodius confirmed and questioned impatiently, wanting to go back to thinking alone.

"We know that Rädsla and Jord are up to something too. Kids always end up missing and we think that the Guardians are responsible. Could you stop them somehow or at least bring them to justice?" the first earth dragon asked with a desperate expression.

"…That was my intention anyway. Now get out and don't speak of this conversation to anyone." the dark dragon replied before he turned around to face the window, showing that he was done talking.

The two boyfriends looked at one another before they quickly left the room, not wanting to anger their possible savior. Demodius heard the door close and he sighed quietly. He didn't like associating himself with other people and the last thing he needed was for some kids to be breathing down his neck. He was only doing this because he knew that what the Guardians were doing was downright horrible, and he tortured people for a living.

'As long as the students of this place leave me alone and I act carefully, everything should be fine. I'll have to check out Jord's place tonight.' the Assassin thought to himself as he sat down on his hunches.

The road ahead of his would be thought, but it would all be worth it in the end. The infamous Guardians would be wiped out, eliminating a major threat, and then Demodius could continue his mission to hunt down Kirk. A small smirk appeared on his face as he thought about all the ways he could kill his main enemy, but he had to stay focused on his current targets.

"Don't worry, Kirk… I'll have you at my complete mercy in no time… and you won't escape again when that time arrives." the dark dragon thought aloud with a dark chuckle before he stood up again.

Demodius walked over to his sleeping pillow and layed down. He shifted a little bit to get more comfortable before he closed his blood red eyes and fell asleep, wanting to get some rest so he'd have more energy tomorrow.


	22. Hunt for the Parasite

**Kwai kwai nidobak! Thank you to those why commented on my birthday and thanks to all of you for simply reading this story. I've worked very hard on this and it really does make me happy to know that my efforts are being appreciated. That's enough of me blabbering however. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 22: Hunt for the Parasite

It was now the middle of the night at the Temple and all the students were sleeping in their dorms or apartments. Demodius had woken up from his rest a few minutes ago and he was currently standing in front of his door, contemplating if he should go out now or wait a few more minutes.

He wanted to be sure that everyone was asleep because he didn't want to be seen or waste any mana using his shadow cloak. Fighting a Guardian would take a lot of energy if the Guardian was preparing for it. Not only that, but he was going after Jord, the Earth Guardian. If he wasn't careful, he could get into physical combat and that was the last thing he wanted.

'That fatass could crush me in an instant. I need to tread carefully.' the Assassin thought to himself before he carefully opened the door, trying not to make a sound.

Once the dark dragon was outside his room and in the hallway, he quietly closed the door behind him and locked it so no one else could get in. he took very light footsteps as he made his way down the hall and towards the Guardians' living quarters. He quickly found Jord's room and peeked through the keyhole to see if he was I there.

Using his shadow element to see in the dark, Demodius' blood red eyes scanned the room for the Guardian of Earth, but no on one was in the bedroom. He frowned from this and pulled his head away from the keyhole.

'So, he's not sleeping. That must mean he's either in his office or wandering around somewhere. This'll mean that I can search through his room to see if there's any evidence of… whatever it is he does.' Demodius thought to himself before he coated himself in shadows and walked through the stone door and into the bedroom.

Once inside, the shadows faded away and the Assassin began his search through the dark room. He searched under the sleeping pillow, through the bookshelves, and in the drawers, only to find nothing. He noticed that most of the books were cookbooks, but that wasn't really of any concern considering Jord's weight.

It wasn't until Demodius reached the closet where things began to get more disturbing. He walked casually over to the closet door and opened it, only for a hatchling's skull to fall onto the floor, right in front of him. He stared at the bleached skull of the former child he soon became enraged. It wasn't the fact that Jord killed a child, he's done it himself; it was the fact that the skull had teeth marks in it that were the same size as the Earth Guardian's.

"Cannibalistic fuck… I will kill you tonight…" he thought aloud to himself with a murderous glare as he turned around and walked towards the exit.

Demodius faded into shadows before he walked through the door and into the hallway. He solidified again once he reached the other end and he quickly, yet silently, made his way to the Earth Guardian's office.

Thoughts of killing the cannibal ran through his head as he walked down the empty halls and his blood red eyes were filled with hatred for the earth dragon. He's done many terrible things himself, but cannibalism wasn't one of them and it was also crossing the line in his opinion.

The Assassin eventually found the stone door with the earth element's symbol on it and he pressed the side of his head to listen in. he didn't hear anything however and groaned quietly to himself.

'I swear, if he's not in there, I'm burn this whole Temple down in order to get him.' he thought to himself, not realizing that the room was soundproof.

Demodius decided to at least look inside before he moved on and he cloaked himself in shadows once again. He took a deep breath before he walked through the door and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Jord was casually sitting on his seating pillow and eating the bloodied remains of a young wind dragon on his desk. The kid looked like he died that very night and the Earth Guardian's claws and snout were covered in blood. Organs of the dead child were strewn about the desk and the stomach had been ripped open.

'What kind of sick FUCK does this to people!?' the Assassin screamed in his head as he trembled with rage and hatred.

The shadows surrounding Demodius evaporated, making him visible again, and he leapt at the eating Guardian of Earth. His attack backfired however, because Jord was able to jump out of the way just before he could be tackled to the ground.

"Demodius!? What are you doing here!?" the Guardian asked loudly as the dark dragon quickly got back up, faced him, and adopted a combat stance.

"I'm here to kill you, you fat fuck!" Demodius snarled with his teeth bared threateningly.

The Earth Guardian frowned heavily from this and flexed his claws. He hated it when people commented on his weight, but this was his own Assassin and he was betraying him.

The dark dragon ran forward to attack, but Jord stomped one of his front feet on the ground, causing a large boulder to jut out of the ground in front of him. Demodius simply phased through the rock using his shadow powers and he slashed the bigger dragon's chest with his claws.

The Guardian of Earth grunted from this as his face wrinkled into a furious glare and he quickly swiped the younger dragon away with his thick tail. The dark dragon gasped in pain as he was flung back and his back connected with the wall.

He quickly recuperated however and he ran forward again, only for Jord to fire various earth bullets in his direction. Demodius quickly jumped out of the way, but the much larger dragon took this small distraction to charge forward and tackle his former Assassin to the ground.

"DIE YOU BITCH!" Jord roared before he leaned back to bite into the Assassin's neck.

Thinking quickly, Demodius used his shadow element to turn invisible and the Earth Guardian clamped his teeth into seemingly nothing. He adopted a confused expression as he stood back up, but is quickly turned into a teeth barred frown.

"Show yourself, coward!" he yelled out as his dark green eyes frantically looked around the office.

The Guardian of Earth felt a piercing pain on the side of his large stomach and he craned his neck to see Demodius with his tear shaped tailblade lodged into his belly. The dark dragon grinned evilly before he quickly pulled the blade out, making the serrated edges make the wound wider and bleed even more.

Jord hissed loudly in agony, but whipped his tail at Demodius, smashing his hammer shaped tailblade into his enemy's stomach, making him grunt in pain. The younger dragon fell to the ground in pain and he felt the Earth Guardian's large paws pin him to the stone floor. He growled angrily as the larger dragon leaned forward so their faces were almost touching.

"You're a real pain in the ass, but you'll make up for it as my meal. You have balls though, I'll give you that." the Guardian of Earth commented before he sloppily licked his lips in hunger.

Demodius 's blood red eyes hardened from the hatred he felt toward the Guardian and he willed his tail to stab into the overweight dragon's stomach again, making him howl in agony. The tear shaped tailblade began to pump venom into the wound and Jord quickly stumbled away. The Guardian breathed erratically as the corners of his vision turned black and he stood wobbly in place.

"What… what did you do to me…?" he asked weakly as he struggled just to stand.

"Simple, I killed you." Demodius answered calmly as he stood up and shook some of the blood and venom off his serrated tailblade.

Jord's eyes widened in horror when he saw the venom began to burn through the floor with a loud sizzling noise and he grabbed his large belly when he felt an intense burning sensation.

"Ahhh… OH! AAHH! MAKE IT STOP!" Jord screamed in pain as he fell to the floor and used his forepaws to clench his burning belly.

"No." Demodius replied coldly as he watched the Guardian writhe in pain on the floor.

Jord roared in agony as the acidic venom burned away his organs and his blood began to boil from the intense heat. His dark green scales around his belly began to turn red and blood began to drip from between the scales.

All of a sudden, the Earth Guardian's entire stomach began to flatten as the acid burned through the scales and his liquefied intestines poured onto the floor, filling the room with a putrid smell.

The pain became too intense for Jord to bear, so he shakily held his bloodied claws close to his neck. With one quick swipe, he but his throat open and he let out a few loud gurgles before going still forever.

Demodius actually gagged from the strong smell of burning organs and quickly made his way to the exit. He opened the stone door to leave, but he jumped in surprise when he saw Rädsla standing right on the other end of the doorframe. The Guardian of fear looked into the room to see Jord's dead body and he raised an eyebrow.

"So… you're the one who killed Vind... and Jord too apparently." the Fear Guardian commented casually as his right forepaw reached into the black bag strapped to his side.

"They were fucking psychopaths! And that means a lot coming from me!" the Assassin yelled as he pushed past the Guardian so he could get away from the burning flesh smell within the room.

"And you turned your backs on us for that? How foolish of you." Rädsla scoffed as he took out his iron gas mask.

Demodius immediately recognized the device as a gas mask and raised an eyebrow. He saw that it looked very similar to Tamhigan's and that raised many questions that he wanted answered.

"Don't think that you're gonna walk away unpunished, you bastard." the Fear Guardian hissed as some crimson colored mist began to seep out of the mask's respirators.

'Fear gas!' Demodius thought to himself with wide eyes and he turned around to get away.

He was too late however; the gas had already reached him when he took his first step. The Assassin stopped dead in his tracks as he felt his muscles lock up and he couldn't move.

"What's the matter? Can't move?" Rädsla's distorted and demonic voice spoke behind him, followed by a dark chuckle.

The dark dragon didn't reply and he just looked straight ahead with wide eyes as the environment grew darker. It became so dark that even he couldn't see through it and his breathing increasingly became more erratic.

"What's the matter? Afraid that you're not in control anymore? That you can't use your powers anymore?" the Fear Dragon's evil voice asked as he placed his larger forepaws on the stunned dragon's shoulders.

Demodius couldn't find the mental strength to reply and he actually began to shiver as he stood there. He wasn't scared of the changing environment or demonic voice, but he was terrified that he couldn't do anything to defend himself as he dwelled into the unknown.

The dark dragon was able to just barely look over his shoulder and he was surprised to see that Rädsla wasn't there anymore and he was in an industrial looking hallway. He tried his best to use his shadow element to see through the darkness, but it was all for nothing. The only thing he could past three feet was complete darkness.

'This isn't right. I've never seen the fear element used this way before. It's as if he knows my deepest fears. How does he do this!?' he thought to himself as he regained some of his mobility and he took a shaky step forward.

The whole hallway was completely dark and most likely empty for the moment. Every footstep that the Assassin made could easily be heard as he walked forward. He felt very unnerved because no matter how far he traveled or what he did, nothing happened. Nothing came out to attack him or make an appearance or anything. He was just walking down a dark hallway.

Cold sweat secreted between his scales as he walked down the seemingly endless hallway. All of a sudden, he began to see flashes ahead of him. He saw images of his past and when he was a child. He saw his child body that didn't have the tear shaped tailblade or the various spikes.

The flashes eventually changed to full visions and he watched as his younger self was taken by various dragons and cheetahs wearing black robes. They took him to a dark cave and did terrible things to him.

One of the robed cheetahs cut off young Demodius' tailblade and replaced it with the serrated one he has now. A poison dragon injected his tailblade into the child as well and the boy screamed as sharp spikes began to jut out of his scales. Once the process was complete and the dragonling lay limp on the floor, the robed people formed a circle around him.

"You are our servant now. We will train you to become the perfect killer. Welcome to our cult… Assassin." one of the robed dragons spoke as the cheetahs lifted their arms up and they all started to chant something illegible.

"No… stop… Stop showing me this!" Demodius screamed as he watched his younger self go th0orugh the torturous training that the cultists forced him to go through and he trembled uncontrollably.

In Rädsla's perspective, Demodius was lying on the floor and whimpering as he curled up into a ball. The Fear Guardian cackled behind his iron gas mask as he gently pat the dark dragon on the head.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Rädsla commented as he carefully removed his metal gas mask and placed it in the black bag that was strapped to his side. "I'd love to stay and play, but I have business elsewhere." he spoke as he turned around to leave.

The Guardian of Fear glanced at Demodius one last time before he started walking away. He sprayed so much fear gas into the Assassin that he didn't expect him to survive the night. He smirked as he walked into his room and closed the door behind him.

'So much to do and so little time.' the Fear Guardian thought to himself with a dark chuckle as he pulled the lever operated book on the bookshelf out.

The whole bookshelf slid to the side after that and the secret hallway was revealed. Rädsla inhaled deeply before he walked into the tunnel, knowing exactly what he had to do now.

* * *

Tamhigan was sleeping on his sleeping pillow in the town of Portum and he was at peace. The sounds of the rain outside soothed him as his resting form stayed in his nice, warm room. Just like the Temple, everyone was sleeping except for the occasional guard.

Something very different was happening in the post-apocalyptic dragon's head however. He was dreaming that he was in his human form and the beaches of Normand, France surrounded him.

Tamhigan, or Jack as he's referred to when he's in human form, sat up once he woke up to see where he was and he rested his biomechanical hand on his masked face. He was wondering what his great-grandfather wanted from him this time and he doubted that it would be as simple as a casual talk.

As if on cue, he heard heavy footsteps behind him, so he looked over his shoulder to see Dylan walk up to him before stopping a few feet away.

"Hey there, sport. Ready for another story?" the Code-Talker greeted with a warm smile under his helmet.

Jack was confused by this and tilted his head to the side to show it. His great-grandfather just chuckled from this and sat down next to him.

"It seems that the mysterious killer has struck again. Jord is no longer amongst the living." he explained with a smirk, happy that a monster like the Earth Guardian was gone.

The masked man simply nodded to this and fully faced the soldier, wanting to learn about the Guardian of Earth's past.

"Jord was born in a wealthy community in Warfang and he lived a life of luxury. His parents were rich snobs however, and they didn't really care about him. They spoiled him rotten by giving him whatever he wanted so he'd leave them alone and he ended up eating a lot to sate his depression. He got a weight problem because of this and all the other kids he knew started picking on him for it. He just… snapped on day and started to eat people alive if they made fun of him because of his weight. He eventually fell in love with Orm and he's been holding a personal vendetta against you since you killed her. He ate his own dick just to prove his loyalty to her and he vowed to kill you." Dylan explained with a gloomy frown. "At least he never got that chance." he tried to bring some light into the moment by saying that.

Jack simply nodded in response and looked out at the water with various battleships anchored in place. There was a light breeze in the air and the soldiers were talking to one another.

"The Guardians are fucked up." the masked man finally spoke with a quiet tone of voice.

"You don't have to tell me twice." the Code-Talker replied with a chuckle and he looked up at the cloudy sky. "Be careful though. I have a feeling that something's gonna happen soon… something important." he said more seriously.

Jack nodded again and looked up at the sky as well. He actually had the same feeling in his gut, but whatever this new challenge was, he was confident that he could overcome it. Little did he know; this event would go down in history.

As he thought this, the world began to glow brightly and he looked over at the soldier sitting next to him.

"Only one Guardian remains, but you should rest for the rest of the night. Good luck and be careful." Dylan spoke before the brightness became too much for the masked native to stand and he raised his biomechanical hand to block out the light.

Hack felt a warm sensation throughout his body before the vision ended and his spirit returned to his body. Once that was all over, the post-apocalyptic dragon slept for the rest of the night until morning.


	23. A Dark Journey and an Apocalyptic Night

**Kwai kwai nidobak! Well, only one Guardian remains now and this story is very close to the ending. If I were to make a prediction, I'd say that there are only three or four chapters left. You readers will have to wait to see what happens. Remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 23: A Dark Journey and an Apocalyptic Night

Hostiæ was sleeping on the floor in Rädsla's hidden room and like before, she was chained up so she couldn't escape. He had left her in there and she ended up crying herself to sleep not long later. She dreamt of her life before she was forcibly taken in broad daylight.

She woke up with a start when the door burst open and the Fear Guardian stormed in. He ignored the startled dragoness and made his way over to his desk. She wanted to ask him why he looked so jumpy, but she decided not to incase she made him angry.

The water dragoness watched as he took out a black bag that was similar to the one he already had in his bag and he stuffed all of his notes and his journal into it. Once he packed away all of these, he closed the bag and strapped it to his side, next to the bag with the gas mask in it.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, dear, but I have to leave." Rädsla spoke finally as he slowly turned to face the water dragoness.

"Okay… can I go home now?" Hostiæ asked shakily, trying to find the right words to say so she wouldn't anger her captor.

The Guardian of Fear simply chuckled and walked right up to her so they were only a few inches apart from one another.

"Sorry, but you have to stay here. I'm sure that someone will find you eventually." Rädsla replied cheerfully as he pet her head like a dog, making her whimper in fear.

The Fear Guardian grabbed her by the shoulders all of a sudden and pulled her even closer, making her yelp in surprise. Her breathing became very erratic from this and she feared for her life.

"P-please don't kill me…" the water dragoness managed to stutter as his black eyes stared into her aqua colored orbs.

"If someone ever finds you… tell them that I will not be returning. Can you do that for me?" he requested almost sweetly as he brought his face close to hers.

"Y-y-yes…" Hostiæ replied shakily with a nod, wanting to do anything if it meant that she wouldn't die.

"Good." Rädsla said simply as he released her, making her sigh in relief.

As if nothing out of the ordinary happened, the Fear Guardian walked out of the room and closed the door behind him without another word, leaving the poor dragoness trapped in there. She had survived one life or death situation, only to be tossed into another. If no one found her in the room she was trapped in, then she would die of malnutrition.

Realization donned on her that the chances of someone actually finding her were minimal and she curled up into a ball on the floor. Something told her that shouting out for help would be pointless and the only person who knew where she was wouldn't come back.

Hostiæ started crying as she felt utter hopelessness. There was nothing she could do and there was a strong possibility that she would die in that very room. The only thing she could do was to wait and pray.

* * *

Demodius groaned as the visions finally ended and he slowly stood up on his wobbly legs. He was glad that his unnatural body could take such a high dose of fear gas. He quickly down both ways in the hallway in an attempt to find the Fear Guardian, but he was nowhere in sight.

'Dammit. He could be anywhere at this point.' the dark dragon thought to himself with a groan as he started walking in a random direction at a slow pace.

The visions he was forced to watch was none other than his past. He hated how he came to be and that those cultists changed the body into the living weapon he is now. He honestly didn't know too much about those crazy people, but he did remember that they wanted him to kill politicians and military leaders.

Past memories came to mind as he aimlessly wandered around the Temple in his futile search for Rädsla. Demodius recalled how he got tired of their abuse one day and killed them all in their sleep. He left their temple in the middle of nowhere and spent his days as an assassin for hire. His most frequent employers were the Guardians, but he did work for other gangs and organizations as well. He never worked for free however, discluding personal missions.

Those cultists changed almost every physical part of him, but he did modify himself a bit. For example, he cut a very small hole on the tip of his tailblade, which allowed poison to secret out of it, similar to a poison dragon's.

Demodius was brought out of his memories when he realized that he was standing right in front of Rädsla's office. He didn't expect the Fear Guardian to flee there, but it was still worth the look he supposed. He reached his right forepaw forward and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

'Locked.' the dark dragon thought to himself with a frown as he lowered his paw.

Still not giving up, the Assassin coaxed himself in shadows so he could pass through solid objects and rushed in, not wanting to waste any energy. He quickly reappeared as he stopped the flow of shadow energy and he looked around the average looking office.

There seemed to be nothing special about this room and there were no signs of Rädsla. He decided to search around the office and through the drawers, only to find nothing but useless paperwork.

The Assassin was about to give up, but he stopped at the door when he noticed a book sticking out a little on the bookshelf. He raised an eyebrow at this and walked over to it.

'No way. That would be the oldest trick in the book.' the dark dragon thought to himself before he pulled the book outwards.

To Demodius' surprise, there was the sound of a clock and the bookshelf slid to the side, revealing a hidden tunnel. His confused expression quickly turned into a smirk when he realized that he found exactly what he was looking for.

The dark dragon decided not to waste any time and walked into the poorly lit tunnel. He soon reached the end of the hall and he found a door. He attempted to open it, but it was locked.

'This repetitiveness is really starting to annoy me.' the Assassin thought to himself with a heavy frown as he used his shadow element to step through the door.

He was a little surprised to see Hostiæ crying and chained to the floor. He kind of figured that Rädsla would be hiding someone down there however and he reappeared in a mist of shadows, startling the girl.

"Ah! Who are you? Wait… I… please help me…" the young water dragoness said with a shaky voice as tears slid down her cheeks.

Demodius looked away for a moment, thinking about what exactly he should do next. Once he had a plan, he looked back over at her.

"I'll free you, but I need some information from you." the Assassin spoke emotionlessly as he walked over to her.

"I'll tell you whatever you want… just please… let me go first…" Hostiæ replied, practically begging to be released from her restraints.

The dark dragon nodded in response before he quickly looked around and spotted a key on the table. He picked it up and he was soon able to remove all the chains. He noticed some red rashes circling around her ankles and neck, and figured that she was chained up for a long while.

The water dragoness sniffed and rubbed her sore scales as she sat on her hunches and looked down at the floor. The dark dragon decided to take this moment to quickly look around to see if he could find anything useful.

"He… he took everything with him." she informed him as she rubbed some of the tears out of her eyes.

Demodius sighed in frustration because of this, but he didn't lash out like he normally would have. Instead, he walked over to the girl again and sat down next to her.

"Where did Rädsla go?" he asked emotionlessly, getting right to business.

"I don't know. He just said that he wasn't gonna come back and he walked out." Hostiæ answered with a shaky voice.

The dark dragon sighed heavily from this and looked away, going into deep thought. He didn't know what to do now. He had no leads as to Rädsla's whereabouts and now he had a traumatized kid to worry about. After a few moments of dead silence, he looked back at the young student again.

"Okay, here's the plan. I'm going to lead you outta here and to the closest healer. Once your taken there, I'm gonna leave and you'll never see me again." the Assassin explained and she nodded slowly in understanding.

After that was said, they both stood up and the older dragon slowly led her out of the room and down the tunnel. They didn't even bother to seal the tunnel again and they exited the office. It took them a few minutes, but they eventually reached the healer's office.

Hostiæ smiled lightly when she saw the healer look up at her, and she turned around to thank her savior. She was surprised however when no one was there however and she turned back to the healer. Unknown to them both; Demodius had shrouded himself in shadows so he couldn't be seen and he started walking away.

'You've done some very good things, Demodius, but I don't think you can do any more when it comes to the Guardians.' Bedagi spoke in the Assassin's head.

'Yeah… I guess I'm out of the job now as well.' the dark dragon joked as he walked down the halls in his shadow form until he reached the exit and he immediately got drenched once he stepped outside.

'What are you gonna do now?' the spirit asked curiously after a slight chuckle.

'I still have a mission in life…' Demodius stated as he solidified and took flight. 'I am going to find… and destroy… Kirk. I'm gonna need to rest first however. I'm kinda tired from all that shit earlier.' the Assassin answered while flew through the rainy skies.

Bedagi was silent from this and he left Demodius' mind. The dark dragon shrugged off the silence and flew in a random direction, not having anywhere specific to go. All he knew was that he had earned some rest and maybe a beer.

* * *

It was early in the morning in Portum and Tamhigan was still asleep. The sun was just going over the horizon outside and only a few early birds were awake. He wasn't having a good night's rest however. After he had the vision with Dylan, he started dreaming about Earth, but it was in the state that he saw it in the Pool of Visions.

In the dream, there were two groups of people who were caught in a firefight on the snowy surface. One of the groups were the Ku Klux Klan soldiers, but the other group seemed to be a different faction entirely.

These men were wearing gray hazmat suits that had scrap metal armor welded to them for maximum protection. They were also armed with various weapons, such as AR-15s, Remington Model 870 shotguns, and Ruger M77 rifles.

The fighting was intense and there were casualties on both sides, but it looked like the Klan was going to be the victor in this fight. All of a sudden, one of the men fighting the Klan soldiers dropped his weapon and took out some kind of detonator. Upon closer inspection, bombs could be seen strapped to this man's chest.

"For the Church of Nucleartology!" the man in the hazmat suit screamed as he charged forward with the rest of his allies.

Before the Ku Klux Klan soldiers could react, the man detonated the bombs on his chest. A fiery explosion was the result of this and every man in the vicinity was caught in the blast. Once the smoke cleared, the mangled bodies of everyone could be seen lying about in the now red snow.

Tamhigan gasped and woke up with a start. His eyes darted around the room, but he calmed down when he realized that the fight was only a dream. Sighing heavily, he looked towards the window to see that the sun had just fully over the horizon and it was still early in the morning.

His mind wandered back to the dream however, which greatly disturbed him. Why would he have a dream about his homeworld, but his home from his time? Why now? He had no answers to these, but he somehow knew that he had the dream for a reason.

Perhaps it wasn't the dream itself that was the problem, but maybe it was symbolic of something else. Maybe it represented something bad that would happen sometime in the near future. It didn't even have to involve the Post-Apocalyptic Realm; Tamhigan figured that it was a warning that the last remaining Guardian was planning something.

Deciding not to dwell on that topic for now, the black scaled dragon stood up, picked up his leather sling with the gun holstered, and put it on. He then grabbed his gas mask and secured it over his face.

Once he had all of his essentials, the post-apocalyptic dragon walked out of the bedroom and downstairs to have breakfast with his new family and friends.

* * *

Three hours have passed since Tamhigan woke up from his nightmare and he was now in the backroom of Valo's shop. They were both sitting around the pool because she said that she wanted to talk to him earlier. Ramallah had guard duty, so Kirk and Glacia were looking after the children at the moment.

At first, the two dragons were silent, but the psi dragoness eventually looked up at the younger dragon, as if studying him.

"I know you've been having nightmares recently. I can sense it in your aura." she spoke finally with a serious tone of voice. "What are they about?" she asked as she leaned forward slightly.

The former human didn't answer at first. He silently stared into the pool and contemplated what he should say. After a few seconds of waiting, he sighed behind his gas mask and looked up at her again.

"I dreamt about my home realm. The Post-Apocalyptic Realm." the masked dragon answered quietly.

"That's still bothering you, huh?" Valo questioned with a look of pity.

Tamhigan just nodded and looked down at the pool again. They were silent for a little while before she spoke up again.

"What exactly happened in the dream?" the psi dragoness asked softly, trying not to get him upset.

"…Some very bad people were fighting another group of people I've never seen before." the post-apocalyptic dragon answered in a way that she'd understand.

"Really? Was this the realm you remember, or was it the one that we saw in the Pool of Visions?" the tattooed dragoness asked with a raised eyebrow.

Tamhigan simply nodded in response to this, not wanting to talk too much. She noticed this and scooted closer to him before resting a paw on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all that, but at least you're here now. The Guardians don't stand a chance against a town where all the residents know how to fight and it's mostly safe here. Plus, we all care for each other, including you." the psi dragoness told him with a small smile.

The post-apocalyptic dragon had to admit, he felt comforted from her words. He's never lived with such luxuries back in his homeworld and it made him hopeful for the future to know these things about Portum. He still couldn't help, but wonder what Rädsla was up to. There wasn't a chance in hell that the Fear Guardian would simply give up after all of his peers were killed off one by one.

Deciding not to think about these depressing thoughts, Tamhigan looked up at the kind dragoness once more. She may not have any children, but he figured that she would make a good mother one day.

"Also, don't worry about that vision about Rädsla." Valo spoke suddenly, as if reading his mind; although that was more possible than one might think.

Tamhigan raised an eyebrow behind his gas mask and tilted his head lightly to show his confusion.

"I have been speaking with your brother lately, and he's been telling me that Demodius himself has been killing the remaining Guardians." the spirit-whispering dragoness revealed, greatly surprising the post-apocalyptic dragon.

This new information came as a major shock to Tamhigan. Out of all the people that he knew, Demodius was the last person he expected to start a one man war against the remaining Guardians. He wanted to know why a dragon like that would turn on his employers however.

"Let me tell you what Bedagi told me." Valo spoke, gaining his attention once more. "Demodius isn't nearly as bad as the Guardians. Yes, he does terrible things, but nothing quite as bad as those sadists. Basically, he didn't like the way the Guardians treated him, nor the way they were acting. So, he did a little detective work and he discovered what the Guardians were really up to, uncovering the atrocities they committed." she explained to him.

Tamhigan was greatly surprised by all of this, but he couldn't say that he was upset entirely. He still thought of Demodius as an enemy, but he was glad that they at least had a common enemy and only one Guardian is still alive.

"I should also tell you that Bedagi told me that Demodius has lost track of Rädsla. That means that we still have one Guardian to worry about, but I'm confident that everything will be fine." the psi dragoness added, not wanting to keep anything from him.

The post-apocalyptic dragon simply nodded to this and looked back at the pool. This confirmed his suspicions that Rädsla would become a threat. Demodius gave up the chase and now the Fear Guardian was loose in the world.

Something told Tamhigan that his troubles weren't over yet until this threat was taken care of. He'd hunt down the psychopath if he had to. He refused to allow those he now cared about to be in danger because of Rädsla. They weren't out of the fire just yet.


	24. Mists of Fear

**Kwai kwai everyone! I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but I find it funny how most of you reviewers misspell my characters' names all the time. I know their non-English names, but most of them aren't that hard to spell in my opinion. Anyway, this will be the second to last chapter in this story, so we're getting really close to the end now. Remember to review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 24: Mists of Fear

Rädsla has been flying over the Eastern forests for over five hours now and it was now midday. He recalled where Demodius said where Portum was and he was on his way over there. A wolfish grin was plastered on his face throughout the whole trip because he had a plan in mind.

'Those bastards won't know what hit them.' the Fear Guardian thought to himself as lightning flashed in the distance.

The psychopath didn't stop for anything. He didn't land to rest or find food; he just kept flying through the rain. He flew nonstop for the longest time until he spotted the town of Portum in the far distance. He figured that he could reach the town in about half an hour if he flew, but he didn't' want to be seen, so he landed on the wet ground.

Walking to the dragon settlement would take about an hour or two, but at least he wouldn't be spotted and the trees would somewhat keep the rain off of him.

"It'll all be worth it in the end. Don't worry." Rädsla encouraged himself as he walked through the forest and he felt raindrops land all over his back, head, and tail.

The Fear Guardian walked through the forest for a long time. It felt like an eternity to him, but only an hour had passed since he landed. He stopped however when he spotted a cave nearby. At first, he was going to keep going and ignore the cave, but something compelled him to venture inside.

After some mental debate, Rädsla made his way over to the cave and walked inside. His eyes widened in amazement when he spotted green spirit gems all over the wall at the end of the cave. They were each glowing brightly with power and he even saw a few blue ones mixed in.

'My power will increase tenfold with these!' he screamed in his head as he set his bags down and walked over to the gems.

The Guardian of Fear let out a roar as he started slashing at the gem clusters, causing them to shatter. The shards glowed brightly as they flew into the air and were absorbed into his body, making his elemental energy even stronger than it was before.

Rädsla flashed a toothy grin once he absorbed every last spirit gem and he could feel the elemental power flowing through him. He now knew exactly what he had to do, and there was no way that he would fail.

'I will make everyone in that miserable town suffer…' the crazed fear dragon thought to himself as he reached into his bag and took out his iron gas mask.

The Fear Guardian secured the metal mask over his face and chuckled darkly before he turned around and walked out of the cave. Once he was outside, he began walking towards the town once again.

It took Rädsla about an hour to reach the outskirts of the town, but once he did, he began to summon his fear energy. He felt the mana flow within the back of his throat and he made sure to stay well hidden in some bushes. With a deep breath, he began to exhale a large cloud of crimson red gas out of his mouth and through the respirator.

The Portum citizens slowly began to notice the approaching crimson mist, but they merely looked at it in confusion. Many of them asked their friends and family what the strange mist was and where it came from.

"That fog aint natural." an electric dragon with red tribal tattoos commented as the citizens stepped away from the eerie mist.

"Everyone! Get indoors, now!" Ramallah boomed as he used his right forepaw to unholster his flintlock pistol.

The dragons followed his orders and they ran into their homes and wherever building was closest. Even the some of the guards stayed behind in case there was an unseen enemy within the red mist, but Ramallah ran to the palace to make sure that Puritania and Vän would be alright and protected.

It didn't take long for the crimson red mist to reach the guards and soon the whole town was enveloped in the strange fog. Everyone waited for any indication that the guards were okay, but for a long moment, they only received silence.

All of a sudden, loud, ear-piercing screams could be heard within the mist and all the dragons in the town stared out their windows with wide eyes. They all became very scared as they screams got louder and louder, until they suddenly stopped.

Everyone stared out the windows with shocked expressions: Ramallah, Valo, Glacia, Sicle, Flare, Puritania, Vän, Torque, Awan, Tamhigan, everyone was shocked at what they just witnessed.

"What's happening, mommy?" Flare asked as she and her family huddled close to one another and looked out the window.

"I… I don't know." Glacia answered with a terrified expression and she held her two children close to her with her wings.

"Mom, where's dad?" Sicle asked worriedly as he looked away from the window and up at the ice dragoness.

"He was out hunting." their mother told them and she took them away from the window, fearing the worst.

* * *

In the forests outside of Portum, Demodius was flying towards the town. He decided that he would go looking for Kirk in the town where he knew he'd be and he was fairly close to the town now. He wasn't close enough to see the town yet, but he was still rather close.

The dark dragon's eyes were darting around the forest below him, trying to spot the familiar dragon. He wasn't expecting his target to be all the way out where he was, but it was at least worth a look.

A grin came to the Assassin's face when he spotted the red scales amongst the trees he knew for a fact that it was Kirk. His target was carrying a dead deer on his back, so he assumed that Kirk was out hunting.

Demodius immediately nose dived down to the forest floor below and dramatically landed right in front of Kirk, startling him. The dark dragon chuckled evilly as he slowly looked up as his target with those blood red orbs of his.

"Hello, Kirk… did you miss me?" the Assassin greeted with a mocking chuckle.

"What are you doing back here? Why can't you just leave me alone!" the element-changing dragon yelled in frustration as he set the dead deer down on the ground next to him.

"I'm not gonna forget that shit you pulled three years ago." the dark dragon replied calmly as he bent down into a combat stance. "And there's no one to save you this time." he added with a grin.

Before Kirk had a chance to respond, Demodius leapt forward and tackled him to the ground. The Assassin opened his jaws wide open, but the dragon below him quickly turned from red, to white, then green. He changed into an earth dragon to give himself more strength. He growled before he kicked his attacker away with his hind legs.

Demodius grunted roughly as he fell to the ground, but he quickly stood up again and adopted a combat stance once more. Kirk responded by standing up on his hind legs and balancing himself with his wings, almost slipping because of the wet mud on the ground.

The dark dragon enveloped himself in shadows so that Kirk's attacks wouldn't hurt him and he charged forward. The currently green dragon responded by changing hi green scales to yellow and used his electric element to quickly move away. By the time Demodius reached where his target was once standing, he slashed at nothing, but air and he growled in frustration.

The shadows seeped away from the Assassin's scales and he raised his tail with the tear shaped tailblade pointing straight forward, somewhat like what a scorpion would do. Kirk decided to take the offensive this time and charged forward with his increased speed. Demodius tried to stab him with the serrated tailblade when he got close enough, but his target was able to just barely dodge the attack and he slashed at the dark dragon's dark green chest.

"Gah!" Demodius shouted with a snarl and he whipped Kirk away with his tail before disappearing in shadows.

Kirk grunted when he connected with the ground, but he quickly stood up and his currently yellow eyes scanned the area, looking for his attacker. He gasped in great surprise however when Demodius appeared right in front of him and tackled him to the ground and their snouts were mere inches apart.

"There we are… right where I want you." the dark dragon commented with a chuckle as Kirk tried to squirm free to no avail. "I'm finally going to kill you for what you did. You've meddled in my affairs, interrupted my missions, and have stopped my plots for the last time. I'm gonna make you suffer before I kill you." he explained almost casually as jammed his claws into his target and pumped some venom into him.

Kirk groaned in pain as he felt his limbs go numb, but he could still breathe normally as usual. He tried to use all four of his elements, but nothing but small puffs of red, blue, green, or yellow mist would come out of his mouth.

"Please… I have a family. Don't do this." Kirk tried to convince the dragon on top of him, but he only chuckled down at him.

"I don't care. They're in a town full of 'great warriors' and they'll do fine without you." the dark dragon told him with an evil grin.

'Kirk… you have one more element that you can use… it's your only chance… Convexity…' a ghostly male voice was heard in Kirk's head.

'Wait! Who are you?' Kirk asked with wide eyes and Demodius chuckled because he thought his target was scared of him.

'My name is… Spyro…' the spirit answered after a short pause. 'I will allow you to use my convexity to take down Demodius.' he continued.

'Wait! Why are you helping me!?' the multi-elemental dragon screamed in his head as he felt a foreign energy develop within his throat.

'Because your family and friends need you alive. You can use Convexity, so use it to defend yourself and get back to your family… they need you.' Spyro spoke before his voice faded away, but his purple energy remained.

As soon as the ancient hero left Kirk's mind, a purple aura began to develop around his body. Confused by this, Demodius slowly got off of his target and took a few cautious steps backwards.

"What is this?" the Assassin demanded with a very confused expression as he watched the glowing dragon stumble up and breathe heavily.

Kirk didn't answer and he inhaled deeply. Demodius' eyes widened because he knew that his enemy was preparing to attack. He was too late to envelope himself in shadow form and felt the full blast of his opponent's attack.

Kirk's scales turned into a shade of purple before a violet beam shot out of his mouth and directly smashed into Demodius. A cry of pain was heard as the now purple dragon continued the attack with anger in his eyes. This new power… it felt good.

He slowly began to realize that he was losing control over himself and he ceased his attack. Kirk panted heavily as his scales turned back to their original blood red color and he looked at the gathered dust a few yards away from him.

Once the dust cleared, Demodius could be seen lying on the ground and he had open wounds all over his body. Amazingly, the dark dragon was able to slowly stand up and both gravity and the rain made small rivers of blood go down his scales.

"You… I'm gonna get you for this…" he snarled with a look of pure hatred and the raindrops sliding down his face only intensified this.

The red dragon's eyes widened from this and he watched as the Assassin took a shaky step towards him. The dark dragon flinched in pain however when he did this. He was in no fighting condition to fight right now and they both knew it.

The Assassin looked at Kirk with his blood red eyes before he faded away in shadows and flew away while he was invisible. Kirk sighed heavily in relief from this and plopped down on his belly. The attack he used earlier made him exhausted and he felt like he was gonna pass out at any moment.

'I'll just stay here for awhile and go home when I'm feeling up to it.' he thought to himself as he rested his tired head on his paws.

It wasn't long before soft snores could be heard coming from Kirk as the tree branches above him protected him from the falling rain.

* * *

Within the tavern in Portum, many people were looking out the windows and at the crimson mist with fear in their eyes. Some people tried to comfort their families while others depended on their friends for comfort.

Amongst those in the group were Awan, Torque, Valo, and Tamhigan. The post-apocalyptic dragon's adopted children were currently with Puritania at the palace, so he was confident that they were alright.

Everyone in the tavern was worried about the mist outside and they knew that it was harmful considering those screams they heard a few minutes ago. They whispered to one another, trying to figure out what to do.

"Okay, everyone stay calm. The mist can't reach us while we're in here." Valo spoke up and everyone turned to face her. "We just need to keep the doors and windows shut, and make sure that no one else goes out there." she informed everyone with a calm tone of voice.

Almost everyone nodded in understanding, but many of them mumbled amongst themselves. They were still very confused and had no idea what to do.

"Do you know how long this mist stuff will last for?" a scared fire dragoness asked as she stayed close to another fire dragoness.

"I don't know, to be honest… but I do know that this mist isn't natural." the psi dragoness answered with a heavy frown.

"Dammit. We need to know what we're dealing with." Torque cursed with frustration in his voice.

"I know that it might sound ridiculous, but that looks like fear mist to me." a fear dragon with green tattoos commented as he looked out the windows.

"Impossible; no fear dragon could make that much mist at once." a water dragon with orange tattoos argued.

"Let's pretend that a fear dragon could do all this. How do we make it stop?" Awan questioned and they all looked over at Valo, who had her head down.

"The only way to stop this if that were the case, would be to stop the one producing the gas… by stepping outside." the blue scaled dragoness answered as she slowly looked up at everyone with her light brown eyes.

"No, no one can do that. Doing that would be suicide." Torque spoke and everyone began to lose confidence again.

"…I'll go." Tamhigan spoke up for the first time since this started and everyone looked at him with wide eyes.

Valo's frown deepened as she stepped through the crowd and towards her friend; or at least, the dragon she considered to be a friend. Once she was right in front of him, she stopped and looked down at him.

"Tamhigan, you could die if you go out there." she said seriously, not wanting him to risk his life.

"My mask will protect me… I just need air in my filters." the post-apocalyptic dragon replied with his voice devoid of emotion.

Tamhigan suggested this because his gas mask was meant to have the wearer breath in almost any environment and they would protect him from the fear gas. He needed oxygen in the filters however because he hasn't changed them in a very long time and he never needed to because the air in this world was clean.

Awan actually stepped forward and Valo took a step back so she could stand in front of the heavily scarred dragon.

"I don't know what those filters are or what they do, but I'll fill them with air if it'll help you." the wind dragoness told him with a soft nod.

Tamhigan nodded back before he sat down on his hunches. He then used his biomechanical paw to unscrew one of his two filters and handed it to her. Awan sat down as well to make things easier and she gently held the human-made object. She then held the small hole on the other end of it close to her lips and exhaled fresh air into it.

Once she deemed it full, she handed it back to the post-apocalyptic dragon and he screwed it back in. He then unscrewed the other filter and they repeated the process. Once the other filter was full of air and secured it to his gas mask, he stood up once more and everyone watched him carefully as he walked towards the door.

"You only have a limited amount of air, so please try to hurry." Awan told him with a very nervous tone of voice.

The black scaled dragon simply nodded to her words before he opened the door and quickly stepped outside. After he shut the door behind him, he looked around the town that was engulfed in the red fog and he felt the heavy rain run down his scales. His breathing was amplified because of the respirators on his mask and besides his breathing; it was eerily quiet out there.

It was impossible to see more than four feet ahead the silence felt piercing for some reason. The raindrops got all over the gas mask's lenses, so Tamhigan constantly had to wipe the water off with one of his front paws.

The post-apocalyptic dragon walked all over town, trying to find the source of this supposed fear gas. He had to find a way to stop this for everyone's sake. He may not show his emotions that much and his depression tends to get the better of him, but this was his home now and he needed to keep it safe; if not for the people, then for his adopted children.

Tamhigan stopped dead in his tracks when he heard another set of amplified breathing, which wasn't his own. His head whipped around to try to find the source of the noise, but fog prevented him from seeing far.

All of a sudden, he felt something smash into him and he fell to the ground with an echoing grunt. He tried to get up, but he felt a large paw press against his chest and he saw the hazy image of Rädsla wearing his gas mask.

"Hello… test subject. Nice of you to come out and play." the Fear Guardian greeted darkly, his voice muffled because of him metal gas mask.

The post-apocalyptic dragon didn't respond and a heavy frown formed behind his mask. Dark blue electricity began to crackle between his two serrated horns. It didn't take long for the electricity to collect energy and a small shockwave exploded in all directions, knocking the larger dragon away.

Tamhigan quickly got up on his feet, but he completely lost track of Rädsla's whereabouts. He released a shaky breath as he tried to spot his hidden enemy, but the fog was simply too thick. It was at that point when he remembered the trick he used when he fought Mörker. Electricity was required for the heart to pump blood through the body.

Time was of the essence, so the Native American dragon needed to hurry. He closed his dark brown eyes behind his gas mask's lenses and began to focus his energy on locating his enemy. As he did this, he could hear Rädsla cackling somewhere out there.

After about half a minute, Tamhigan could feel the Fear Guardian's energy signature and he rushed in that direction. Once he was able to see his enemy, he lunged forward to slice his side with the metal claws on his biomechanical paw.

Surprisingly, Rädsla jumped out of the way and he scratched Tamhigan's chest with his cross shaped tailblade, making him grunt again in pain. The Fear Guardian laughed evilly in victory, but he was silenced when his opponent's metal paw was enveloped in electricity and he suddenly felt great pain all along his left side.

"GAH!" the Guardian of Fear snarled with pain and anger.

Tamhigan quickly barrel rolled away when his opponent attempted to slice him with his claws soon after he recuperated. It was impossible to see his face, but it was obvious that the Fear Guardian was furious now. What made things worse, Tamhigan's gas mask was starting to run out of air and it wouldn't be long before he would start breathing in the fear gas.

"DIE!" Rädsla screeched as even more mist leaked out of his mask's respirators and he leapt towards the smaller dragon.

Thinking quickly, the post-apocalyptic dragon extended the electrified claws on his biomechanical paw and extended his limb so it was pointing at his approaching enemy. Rädsla's eyes widened when he saw this, but it was too late to move away or cancel the attack.

The Fear Guardian screamed at the top of his lungs as his lower chest was impaled by the serrated claws and his whole body was electrified. Ironically, lighting flashed in the sky at this happened, brightening the misty town for a split second.

The Native American dragon frowned darkly behind his gas mask as he increased the amount of dark blue electricity being surged into the Guardian and he used his organic front paw to unholster his flintlock pistol.

He cocked the weapon so that it would be ready to fire and he even formed electricity around the musket ball. He then pointed it at his opponent's chest and squeezed the trigger. There was an echoing boom and the electrified gunshot had enough energy to push the Guardian a dozen yards away. The Fear Guardian landed with a roll and lay still on the middle of a street.

Tamhigan panted heavily from the use of energy as the flow of electricity died down to a few dark blue crackles on his midnight black scales. He and everyone else in the town noticed that the fear mist was beginning to evaporate and the rainy town could be seen clearly again.

The sound of running could be heard behind the victorious dragon and he looked over his shoulder to see Kirk running up to him.

"What… happened…?" the element-changing dragon asked as he panted and he noticed the Fear Guardian's body on the ground.

Before Tamhigan could answer, they both heard a cough and Rädsla slowly and shakily stood up. His scales were a little darker than they already were because of the electricity burns and the rain sizzled as it fell on his scales. Both of their eyes widened when they watched the Guardian of Fear slowly turn his head to look at them.

"You… you think you've won? Well let me tell you something… this world needs good and bad people… and everyone in-between." Rädsla spoke insanely as he took a single step forward. "Kirk is the hero… I'm the villain… and you are the one in-between." he told Tamhigan as if he hadn't just been electrocuted.

"NO! Tamhigan is a hero! You're a monster!" Kirk shouted as he stepped forward with a snarl.

"Call me what you will… but in the end, I'm right." the Fear Guardian replied before turning to face the post-apocalyptic dragon again. "We will meet again… and when that happens… I will twist your mind until you're just a husk of a dragon." he spoke with a dark cackle.

Tamhigan formed electricity around his bladed body parts and was about to attack, but Rädsla quickly took flight with a mighty flap of his wings and started flying away as fast as he could. Once he was gone, everyone who had been hiding stepped out of the building s and walked towards the two remaining heroes.

No one spoke a word; they simply looked at the direction the crazed dragon fled. Some wanted to go after him, but they found it best to stay with their town and make sure that everyone was alright. No matter what however, they knew that they were safe… for now.


	25. Talis Vita Est

**Kwai Kwai nidobak! We've finally made it; the last chapter of Abenaki Legacy. I know that many of you want me to write certain stories and made requests, so I decided to write a small list of stories that I'm gonna write in order. First, I'll work on my new Turok story, then Dead Realm 2, and I'll work on the prequel to the whole Lightning series. I'll probably write a sequel to this story some time, but don't expect that for awhile. I'll get to it eventually though, I promise. I've also been thinking of writing a new In the Name of Liberty that would star Mentem, but I'm not sure about that idea yet. Also, one of you wanted to the translations to the Guardians' names, so here they are: Mörker = darkness, Rädsla = fear, Vind = wind, Orm = serpent, Brand = fire, Stöt = electrocuted, Snö =, and Jord = earth. Now then, remember to leave a review or send me a PM!**

Chapter 25: Talis Vita Est

Two days have passed since the incident with Demodius and Rädsla, and the rain was still falling strong. Everyone has moved on from the strange turn of events and continued with their normal lives. Puritania and the rest of the town was informed of the two fights that occurred on that day and they made sure to keep the guards armed and alert in case either Demodius or Rädsla decided to attack.

Luckily, there weren't any further assaults and everything seemed as peaceful as it could get. Kirk was accepted into the town guard for his heroic actions and Tamhigan was promised a home would be built for him once the rain season ended.

The post-apocalyptic dragon was currently in his bedroom within Valo's house and he was staring at the falling rain. It was midday, but most people were indoors because of the constant downpour. He jumped however when he heard a voice in his head.

'Hey Tamhigan.' Dylan spoke with a warm voice. 'Things have been pretty hectic, huh?' he said with a light chuckle at the end.

The masked dragon silently nodded in response and looked down at his biomechanical paw. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't amazed by everything that's happened since he came to the Dragon Realms. It was corrupt, true, but it was a hell of a lot better than the Post-Apocalyptic Realm and there were many good things with this Realm.

'I know that he's still alive, but I was able to discover Rädsla's past if you're interested.' the World War II soldier asked curiously.

Tamhigan nodded before he grabbed a nearby seating pillow, dragged it next to the window, and sat down.

'Rädsla had a tough upbringing. He was constantly picked on as a child because he wasn't a fighter like the other kids he lived around and they thought of him as a weak dragon. He developed a fear of crowds and large groups of people. He wanted to conquer his fear however, so when he was a teenager, he used his own fear element to scare himself. This method actually worked and he was able to conquer all of his inner demons. When he became a young adult, he moved to Warfang and became a psychiatrist, but that was short lived when he began to grow fond of mentally torturing his patients with his fear element. This was before he started killing however, so he was simply fired for upsetting his patients. He grew to love watching people suffer, so he moved back home and scared his entire family to death. Rädsla was never caught however and he became the newest Fear Guardian soon after.' Dylan explained with some dread in his voice.

"Will there be more Guardians?" Tamhigan asked suddenly, honestly wanting to know.

'Oh, hell no. As corrupt as Warfang and the other provinces are, they're not evil like the Guardians. They'll figure out what they were up to and institute actual teachers at the Temple. I have a string feeling that the Guardians are gone for good now.' the Code-Talker answered quickly. 'It's sad really. The Guardians were meant to protect and teach young dragons, yet the newest ones were fucking evil.' he commented sadly.

The Native American dragon sighed heavily from this before he took off his black gas mask. Once it was off, he clipped the human-made mask to his leather sling and looked out the window again.

'Well, that's all I have to say for now. Please try to relax… you've earned it.' Dylan spoke as his voice faded away until he completely left his relative's mind.

The post-apocalyptic dragon silently watched the rain outside and dwelled within his own thoughts. He couldn't help, but to think of his past back on Earth and everything he just went through with the corrupt Guardians. He was brought out of his train of thought however when the door opened behind him and three sets of footsteps could be heard approaching him.

"Hi daddy!" Managuen greeted cheerfully as she and the two other children sat down on both sides of their caretaker.

"Hello." Tamhigan greeted emotionlessly as he slowly looked won at them.

The kids could tell that he was thinking about his troubled past by the sound of his voice and they all frowned. They didn't like it when he was upset because it made them sad too.

"Dad, please don't be sad." Tabaldak said almost pleadingly as they looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

The former human just sighed again, but he was surprised when they all hugged him. He felt a wave of warmth go through him as they hugged him and he slowly embraced them with his dark green wings. The children smiled when he did this and they all cuddled up to him, showing him that they wanted to stay with him.

"Is everything gonna be peaceful now?" Dusk asked hopefully, speaking the question that the two purple dragonlings were also thinking about.

"…There will never be true peace, but I'll do what I can to protect you." the post-apocalyptic dragon

He didn't really believe in peace himself, but he meant what he said. He'd do anything to protect his adopted children. No matter who or what tried to harm them, he and everyone in the town would force the threat to go through a warzone before they could do any damage.

Tamhigan, Managuen, Tabaldak, and Dusk slowly looked up and at the window so they could look outside. None of them spoke a word; they just enjoyed the sound of the rain. They each smiled lightly as they watched and listened to the soothing downpour.

**Thank you, Zach the Fire Dragon and Admiralkirk for all your help. And thank you, readers for all your support! I couldn't have done this without you!**


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